Apparitions in the Night
by Around here somewhere
Summary: Fitz and Olivia are - their typical selves. Takes off after "Hunting Season" with a few interesting twists to come for them. 545 days is a long time. A lot of stuff can happen, and it's not just the President's reputation on the line. What happens when there's an assassination attempt on Fitz's life? What happens then, when their 545 days are shot to hell?
1. I Try

Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal. I am not Shonda Rhimes… though don't we all wish we were?

A/N: So this is going to spin off of 2x03, and so will go from there and head off wherever it goes (; and the chapter title is after I Try by Macy Gray. It is intended to be a series… and rated T for now… but that'll probably change… anyways - don't forget to tell me how it was before you move on to get your next Olivia/Fitz fix.

Apparitions in the Night.

Chapter One: I Try.

Olivia Pope was sitting on the couch, allowing herself her twenty minutes of self-pity and hatred for the day. If she would let herself truly wallow – then she might be able to get over him. She hit rewind on her TiVo, and took another swig of wine, drinking it straight from the bottle. She was Olivia Pope, the rest of the day she was put together, she was impressive – she was Olive Pope. Twenty minutes, Twenty minutes a night was all she allowed herself to wallow in her broken heart, without that structure she might just fall apart at the seams.

She shut the TV off, she couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't stand the sight of the woman on the screen. The woman was Mellie Grant, the First Lady, and someone she could not understand, no matter how hard she tried. Mellie had everything that Olivia wanted. Everything, sure there were some things that Mellie had that Olivia had no desire for, but other things – they were enough to cripple her. Mellie had had Fitz – well she had the potential to have Fitz – she could be with him, she could be married to him, she could have his children. She had the most amazing man in the world, who just happened to be the President of the United States. She took it for granted, all of it. She used fake miscarriages and real pregnancies for political gain and could care less about Fitz.

Olivia's very destructive, very wine driven train of thought was interrupted by the phone call, the phone call she had been waiting for. She looked over at the clock as the phone rang, right on the dot. Ten 'o'clock, she could have known that without looking, because the phone rang at ten every night. He never missed a night, and he was always right on time. It had been two weeks since she had so much as talked to him, two weeks since the kiss on the hunting trip, and two weeks since she had told him it was 'over'. What did that mean anyways? Hadn't they been over? Didn't they already know that 'over' didn't work for them? And still, he called every night, at ten.

Every time it rang, every night, it broke her already shattered heart just a little bit more. Didn't he know how cruel it was, to keep himself in her head. If he could just leave her alone for a while, maybe she would be able to get over him, that was a laughable thought – but maybe she could try and forget him a little bit. Maybe she could get to the point where it wouldn't hurt quite so much. If only he knew exactly how much he was hurting her – he would stop – she had to believe that he would eventually.

There was a knock on the door, and she approached it with all of her new found caution. She looked into the peep hole – something that she had just started to pick up doing – two weeks ago.

"Livy, open the door," She heard possibly her favorite masculine voice from the other side of the door.

"No," She replied, trying to stay strong but knowing that her voice was shaky.

"I have to talk to you," He said, as she pulled away from the peep-hole and leaned with her back to the door – exasperated from the simple fact that he was on the other side of the door, "C'mon, Liv."

"Go home," She found a little more strength from somewhere in her gut, "Nothing good can come from you being here."

"Liv," He croaked, as if it was his last breath, "I need you."

"How can you possibly be this selfish?" She breathed just quiet enough for him to pretend not to hear as she opened the door.

She stepped aside, and he walked in sheepishly, very aware of what he was doing. He knew that it was not fair to her, he knew he was being cruel. This was a woman that he loved so much that he would personally volunteer to sacrifice his own life for hers. This was the woman he dreamed about, who loved him more than anything in the world. He knew that dragging it out would only leave them in pain. He knew being a better man was the better option, to just let her go – he knew it was the right thing to do. But he wasn't willing to be the better guy if it meant that he was going to lose her forever. He swallowed hard. Just thinking about it left a lump in his throat.

"You're in sweats," He observed as she closed the door behind him.

"Sorry, it's past ten – I usually lose the business suits around seven," She put on a strong front.

"You look beautiful, as always," He replied, and she purposefully dismissed the look on his face as he gazed at her longingly.

"Are you going to make a habit of just showing up here?" She interrogated him, "How many secret service agents did you have to drag out of the white house to come here?"

"Three," He replied quickly, and without much thought, "And it depends, are you going to continue to ignore my calls?"

"Are you going to keep calling me?" She asked.

"Are you going to ask me not to?" He asked, and she knew she had met her match, "You tell me, right here. Right now, that you don't want me to call. That you aren't just as in love with me as I am with you. That you're not counting the days until my term as President is over – and we can be together."

"Is your wife still pregnant?"

"You know she is," He replied, "And you know why she is, and you know that's you – not me."

"Fitz, you can't be here."

"You don't know the half of it," He replied, "Five hundred forty-five, by the way."

"What don't I know the half of?" Olivia asked and he took a step towards her.

"Nothing, sweet baby," He tried to reassure her as he grazed the side of his knuckles against her cheek.

"Fitz, please," She felt her knees starting to go weak as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, "Stop."

"Stop what?" His voice was like velvet.

"It hurts," She replied, tears almost coming to her eyes, and he stepped back – his hands holding onto her shoulders.

He ushered her over towards the couch, sat down, and pulled her down into his arms, into his lap. She collapsed into his chest, arms up to her own as she put her head onto his shoulder.

"What hurts, Liv?" He asked, "I can fix it."

"You can't fix it," She breathed, "Because it's you. You hurt so much. I love you, ok? I am in love with you. I am in crazy, ridiculous, insane, needy love with you. And it _kills_ me every time you call, even if I don't pick up. Every time I have to see you and your fake smile with – her. It would be so much easier if I just thought you were happy. It's enough that I'm miserable – to see you so miserable…"

"Then put me out of it, Liv," He replied, "Just say the words, and I'll resign. I'll be here. I'll be with you – I'll be happy."

"You won't be happy," She said, despite what she wanted to say, "You know it, and I know it. The country needs you, and you need this country."

"I love you, Livy," He said, "Please… wait for me?"

"How can you ask me to do that?" She asked.

"I'm waiting for you."

"You're married."

"My marriage is a legal arrangement and a Broadway show," He sighed in reply, "Nothing more. You, Liv, you're the love of my life."

"So why don't you want me to be happy?" She replied, "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Alone?" He replied, "With your empty wine bottle and TiVo? I know you, Olivia. And if I could leave Mellie for you now, I would. If I you would let me – I would do it. I would go straight to the press myself, the second that I leave here."

"Oh, Fitz."

"I. Love. You," He said powerfully, "And you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to not being President anymore."

"Pastor Drake—"

"Don't," He stopped her, "Don't think about that. I can't be president that long. I wouldn't drag you along if this was going to be a lifelong thing. Livy, five hundred and forty-five days, we're more than halfway there."

"But what're we going to do until then?"

"Mellie can't know I'm seeing you," He replied and she raised an eyebrow.

"Mellie's apparently known the whole time," She pointed out, "What makes that an issue now?"

"She threatened to go to the press," He replied, "Honestly, as far as I'm concerned I'd be glad to let her. But, I don't think she will."

She would also drag Olivia's reputation through the mud, and they both knew it. It was unspoken as he gazed into her eyes.

"…or this can be our last goodbye."

"I don't want goodbye," Olivia replied, and he nodded.

"Didn't think you did, Liv," He said, "I don't usually ask questions that I don't already know the answer to."

She laid back against him, letting him hold her in his arms. Her brain was trying to tell her how bad it was, how awful a deal she had just made – but she didn't care. She was so miserable, so unhappy, and so heart broken. People would still come to her if it all came out, the desperate, she would be able to piece back together her reputation. Hell, who was she kidding. If this hit the press' ears, there would be no saving either of their reputations. They would basically be socially exiled, but they would be happy – and they would be together. And after all of this, she could appreciate that simple fact. She would fight like hell to keep her business, her reputation – but, let's face it. Her career was a ticking bomb before it had even started.

"You have to get back to the White House," She breathed and he nodded as she slipped off of his lap and onto the seat cushion beside him.

"Or, I could just stay here," He replied and she stood up.

"Fitz, I can't sacrifice everything for you," Her brain had taken over, "The odds are stacked way against us here. Give me a call in five hundred and forty-five days, we'll see what we can do then. I have to protect myself here."

"Five hundred and forty-four," He checked his watch as he joined her standing.

"Five hundred and forty-four," She corrected and he smiled, leaning in and kissing her softly.

She felt her body react to him almost immediately, and stepped closer as he wrapped her up in his arms tighter and tighter. It was like he was rescuing her sanity, like he was pulling her out of a trance, and back into reality. Bringing her attention back to what mattered, that they were in love. Who, in the history of the world, just had love handed to them? Everyone had to fight for what they wanted. They had just been given an interesting deck of cards.

"Does this mean you'll be waiting for me?"

Olivia gave him a scrutinizing look.

"I can't promise I'll be a nun…"

"Olivia," He said hoarsely, he was serious.

"Like I said, I never liked the idea of a woman waiting around for a man," She replied, "I'm single for another five hundred and forty four days."

"I guess I'm not in the greatest position to negotiate," He pulled her to the door, so that he could make an exit.

"You're not," She replied defiantly.

His only response was that he smirked – the way that made her feel like a little school girl. He knew it too, which only made him smile as he leaned in and pecked her softly, like it was commonplace. So perfect, so little, his fingertips running sexily down the side of her neck.

"I love you," He whispered, "Good Night, Livy-Answer your phone."

She closed the door right as he left, and her cell phone went off in her pocket.

"Abby?" She answered.

"It's a doozy, you better get in here."

"Send Huck? I'm gonna need a ride…"

"Consider him on his way."


	2. Rolling in the Deep

A/N: Ok, so the title song's by Adele, obviously (Mostly because she's almost as badass as Olivia to begin with)…thanks for the lovely reviews! Hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Two: Rolling in the Deep

Olivia got a grand total of four hours of sleep between the day's cases – and was dragging as she walked back through the door after work. She had a bagged dinner that she had picked up on the way home, and she was just about ready to pass out. She left her coat on the hook by the door, and slipped out of her shoes somewhere between there and collapsing onto the couch. She put her feet up and pulled out her turkey on rye and 20 oz soda. She went to grab the remote for her twenty minutes – but she didn't feel like it.

She didn't feel like wallowing, and she didn't feel like being sad. Maybe she would again in a few days, but right now she wanted to be happy. She was successful, and downright kick ass at her job, and had had an amazing day. The reputations of both a senator and a governor were safe, and there were no crises in either state about assigning a new public official. And, it had been a little less than twenty four hours ago the man of her dreams was holding her on that same couch begging her to wait for him. Today was not a sad day, the sadness would return – whenever Mellie was brought up or decided to pull something new – but for now – she didn't need her twenty minutes.

"Hello," she answered, when the phone rang at ten, promptly.

"Would it be terrifying to you if I told you how happy I was that I got a glimpse of you today?" His sexy voice ran through the phone wires.

"You caught a glimpse of me?"

"I didn't know you helped just anyone," He teased, "Senator Kyle? I saw you two out the window."

"Oh, he came to me," She replied, and he hummed in amusement, "Just after you left last night, actually."

"Did you get any sleep?"

"Did you?"

He knew she was referencing the late night attack on the U.S.'s Air force base in East Sudan. Luckily, it happened just as he was getting home, and he was already there when they came to tell him about it.

"Not much," He replied, sighing heavily.

"This leaves the war question a little more intense," She commented and he sighed again.

"This doesn't mean war, I've been working all day to try and stop it from meaning war," He replied, "But they see to want it – pretty badly. We just can't figure out why they'd want to. They're getting weaker by the day."

"Are you sure they're getting weaker?" She asked.

"I don't want to talk about this," He replied, "I've been talking about this all day – And they're not the only ones getting weaker by the day. I'd much rather hear about your day."

"You and I both know we can't do that," Olivia replied, crossing her legs at her ankles.

"Oh, c'mon, I've had a long day – what'd Kyle do?" He asked, "I could use a laugh."

"He didn't do anything," She said, he cracked up.

"Of course not."

"Hey, just because I can't talk about my clients…"

"C'mon, who am I gonna tell?"

"You see him, on the regular basis."

"Not all that often," He replied, "Actually, less than I see you. Speaking of which…"

"We can't," Olivia was quick to snub him from going any further on his train of thought, "We can't risk it. Not if your about to be a wartime president. The country has to be able to trust you."

"I don't care about being president," He said, "Someone else can deal with all this crap – I don't want to anymore."

"Well you only have five hundred and forty-four days left," She replied.

"Well five hundred and forty-three work days – as soon as I get out of here."

"Don't let me keep you."

"I thought that was the point," He replied, "At the end of all of this, you _do_ get to keep me."

"Clever."

"I thought so."

"You don't want out, not yet," She encouraged him, "You're going to help America avoid a war with these people. A destructive war, that only the powerful want – and you're going to figure out a way to save all the people that they're hurting in their own country. You're going to be great."

"You want me to be great," He replied, "You all want me to be great. I just want to be normal, below average actually."

"You wouldn't be you if you gave up," She replied simply, "You're the best guy for the job – you'll get us through this."

"I hate you," He breathed in response.

"Only because you know I'm right," She replied, "That level head of yours is what's going to save us from another war. Any other president would have gone to war already. You're waiting until it's your absolute last option. That takes courage, courage like only you have."

"They're going to drag us into war," He replied, "We're already scoping out their weapons armories."

"We're going to war?"

"Not according to anyone else," He replied, "Officially we're not saying anything until Friday. Until then we're still scoping out our other options. The military first responders have been notified though, classified."

"Why are you telling me this? You can get yourself into a lot of trouble here."

"I'm already way over my head when it comes to you," He replied, "And how can I be in trouble? Half the country knows that we're inevitably going to end up at war. Besides, you're who I talk to. I need to be able to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Because I need to know what you think."

"Why? You're brilliant. You're perfectly capable of running a country…"

"Because you're the only one who will say whatever she thinks to me," He replied, "Whatever it is, you're honest with me. I'm drowning, Olivia."

She looked over at the clock.

"Well, just keep your head above water for the next five hundred and forty-three days, and you'll be golden," She quipped, "I should go to bed."

"Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Mr. President."

"Night, Livy."

"Mr. President?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I know," He replied, "How's the single life going?"

She knew he was smirking even though she couldn't see him.

"Good night, Mr. President."

"I love you, sweet baby."

"Get some sleep, please."

She hung up and felt accomplished – they had had a conversation over the phone without ending it in an argument – that was an accomplishment for them. Maybe these five hundred and forty-three days wouldn't be so bad after all. He loved her, and they would be able to make this work, she let herself believe it for about half a second. She had to keep doubt in the equation, she had to make sure that it stayed there. She couldn't let herself just think that this would all end happily for her. That was when she was going to get crushed. She had to keep her good head on her shoulders. She couldn't let him crush her if it didn't end up the way that they wanted – that she wanted.

She took a deep breath as she rolled out of bed the next morning, but something told her that she should just crawl right back in. This was nothing new, not a daily occurrence, but the idea was definitely appealing from time to time.

This was the first day in a long time that it was actually something that she desperately wanted to do. She glanced over at her phone – odds were they wouldn't get a case today – she could just call in sick, and she could just crawl back into bed. She could catch up on her sleep. She was about to do it, when her phone rang.

"Olivia Pope," She answered before the caller ID.

"Weird your cell's the same," Edison replied and she sighed heavily.

"What do you want?" Olivia asked, not amused.

"I need to meet up with you," He replied, "The president had no right to throw me off the Intelligence Committee."

Olivia really, desperately wanted to turn him down. She didn't want to have any confrontation with Fitz, she didn't want to be heading up this investigation. It was, actually, one of the last things she wanted to do, with one of the last people she would want to do it for. However, she knew if she said 'no' to him then he would go public, it would be a three ring circus instead of a simple conversation.

"You have to get me in to see him," He continued, "I want to see his face."

"You want an appointment with the President of the United States?" Olivia asked in a near condescending tone, "Just after a bombing on an American base in East Sudan? I don't think you're going to get that – and I don't think you're going to get much attention from the papers either. You're going to wanna wait on this."

"I think they'll be very concerned," Edison replied, "Considering it was the Intelligence Committee that I was kicked off of – the day before the bombing, for no reason."

"I'll work on it, ok?" Olivia replied.

"A reinstatement would work perfectly fine for me."

Olivia knew that wasn't going to happen, no way the president was going to work any more closely with him than need be.

"Honestly, I think any public press would backfire, the white house probably has it's reasons," Olivia said.

"I'm going there today, you better come."

"You can't just show up there."

"Of course I can," He replied, "Unless you agree to meet with me."

"Fine," She replied, "Where?"

"Lincoln Memorial, one hour," He replied.

"Fine, you might want to make it an hour and a half – I just woke up."

"Take your time."

Olivia called Abby to tell her she'd be late getting into the office, and to get working on their paper work – all they did on slow days. Olivia then showered, grabbed a quick breakfast, and took off for the Lincoln Memorial. She walked up the steps, and right up to Edison.

"What's up with the meeting place?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"You remember what happened here," He said, smiling – this was the place where he had once proposed to her.

"I do, and I also remember that it was a very long time ago, and a mistake," she said, "Really, what do you want, Edison? Because it sounds like you want public embarrassment and humiliation for the President – which isn't what I'm in the business of."

"I want justice."

"So get a lawyer," she replied, "Why're you trying to go through me?"

"You are a lawyer."

"Edison."

"I want you back."

"Edison, it's over," She replied, "And if you try to use my business like this again it's going to be a problem. A huge problem, got it?"

"I love you, Olivia," He said, trying to grab her arm as she went to walk away.

"You should have thought about that before you screwed her, Edison," Olivia said, glad that there were very few people around, "I'm over it, and I'm over you. I don't want anything from you – and I definitely don't love you – I don't think I ever really did."

She was walking down the stairs as her cell phone rang.

"Olivia Pope," She answered.

"The Secretary of the Navy just called here," It was Abby, "He says he needs to discuss something with you, immediately. He's at the White House, he says he has time in twenty minutes."

They were getting ready for war, they all had to make sure they didn't have anything that was going to come out.

"Ok, I'm on it," Olivia replied, getting into her car, "I'll head over there now. Get rid of the file on Edison. We're done with him."

"Ok, consider it done," Abby replied, "Do you want back up at the White House?"

"We don't know what he's got," Olivia said, "And it's less suspicious if I just go myself. I'll keep you posted."

"Ok," Abby replied, as Olivia pulled into the White House parking lot.

"Got to go," Olivia told her as she hung up.

She got out of the car, and gave the guard at the desk station out front their usual greeting as she walked by him and through the metal detector. She took a deep breath, and then very carefully navigated through the house with the help of an aide to find the Sec Nav. He was in an all day meeting, top secret. Though, Olivia knew that it was with Fitz, and all the other heads of their departments trying to figure out how to proceed. But they were about to take a break – and they could talk in that time. It turned out to be quite simple. He had been having an affair, and feared that his mistress would go to the papers once they were at war. Easy enough, she would pay her a visit once she left the White House, and she negotiated with him before hand about how much he was willing to pay to keep her quiet. She was about to leave when Fitz came out of the room, and had fire in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Olivia," He said cordially, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just here on business," She replied as he began walking her toward the elevator.

"Let me walk you out," He replied, as they got onto the elevator with her.

"What's up?" She asked, as soon as they were on the elevator – there were camera's but no microphones.

"Senator Davis?" He replied, "You're representing him?"

"I'm not anymore, not that it would matter if I was," Olivia shot back, "He's nothing, and he was only using it to try and get me back - which isn't happening."

"But he came to you to come after me," He replied, "And you were considering it."

"Only because he would just go to the papers if I didn't."

The elevator doors opened to the second floor, and Fitz got out, still enraged. Olivia took a deep breath, she would smooth it over with him later that night, but right now she had a mistress to track down and negotiate with. The only problem was, she couldn't let on that the war was about to break out – and she had to get her to sign for the money and the highest form of nondisclosure that she could find. She called Abby to have Harrison start drawing up papers and headed towards the mistress' address.

It was another long day, the mistress had taken less than the Sec Nav had said she could have – but that was mostly due to Olivia's own bargaining skills. She walked back into her apartment, not even bothering to be hungry at exactly fifteen minutes to ten. She decided very quickly that she had time to shower and get ready for bed, if she hurried. She entered her bedroom as her alarm clock went from nine fifty-nine to ten, but the phone did not start ringing as usual. He was busy, he must be running late.

She crawled into bed and turned the TV on, and curled up, waiting for the call before she went to bed. A half an hour later, and a little annoyed she shut the TV off and was going to go to bed. Maybe he was still angry from earlier and had decided to skip a night. In which case, he really had no right to operate in such a way, which pissed her off. However, she was exhausted, and fell right to sleep as her head hit the pillow. She had been out about twenty minutes before she woke up to her phone ringing – and something told her it was on it's second time.

"You're an hour late," She answered the phone.

"Olivia," Cy's voice was on the line – an exasperated and panicking one at that.

"Cyrus? What're you calling here for?" Olivia asked, her stomach plummeting and her mind going to the worst case scenario, but playing it cool, "And especially so late."

"We need you," He said simply, "The President's been shot – "

"What?!"

She shot right up.

"DAMN IT, OLIVIA," He suddenly lost his cool, "There's been an assassination attempt on the President-"

"Where are you?"


	3. Lives in the Balance

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Ok so this me wetting your appetite for the episode tonight... The song's by Jackson Browne, I'm going to try and keep updating pretty regularly, but bear with me if sometimes it takes a bit longer than a day or so… anyways I'm sure none of you want to be reading this, Enjoy:

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Three: Lives in the Balance

When Olivia arrived at the hospital, and Cyrus himself was waiting outside the hospital for her. She was just about running she was walking so quickly, she had barely changed out of her pajamas to get there, and Cyrus had to run to keep up with her as they entered the hospital through a back door he had been waiting outside of.

"Where is he?"

"They have him in a private ER," Cyrus pointed towards an elevator.

"What happened?" Olivia asked, "Is he ok?"

"They believe it was an East Sudan war strike, they've apprehended the shooter and have him in custody," Cyrus told her, "He's conscious, but he won't let them operate until he sees you. The bullet is lodged in his left lung, the shooter just barely missed his heart. They have him stabilized but the longer that bullet is in there, the higher his chances of infection, and permanent damage. The lung's already collapsed once, they need to bring him in as soon as possible. They aren't even sure of how much damage has been done."

Cyrus took the lead as they got off the elevator and he brought her right through the waiting room, where she couldn't not notice Mellie sitting, surrounded by federal agents. Mellie looked up, her usual put together and unconcerned self and made eye contact with Olivia, ice ran from her eyes down Olivia's spine, and she broke the eye contact almost immediately as Cyrus hurried her into the President's room.

"I have to go," Cyrus told her, just outside the door, "The Press just arrived – you have to get him to go in to surgery, right away."

"Tell them that he's being assessed," Olivia told him, going into crisis manager mode, "Tell them that they're figuring out how best to approach the bullet for minimal issues. Tell them he's strong – don't let the country go into a panic. Praise the Secret Service."

"Will do," Cyrus said as he turned and left her, just outside the door.

Olivia took a deep breath, and tried to prepare herself for what she was about to see – trying to imagine the worst so that whatever was really there wouldn't seem all that bad to her. She took another deep breath, and opened the door.

Inside she didn't see the president; she saw the love of her life. The only man she ever saw in any of her dreams of some sort of happy ending for her life, and he was lying in the hospital bed. He was pale, and had clearly lost a lot of blood. He was hooked up to an IV, no doubt pumping him with pain killers and antibiotics, a heart monitor that was beeping consistently, but a little too frequently for normal. He was weak, and had an oxygen mask obscuring most of his face. She went straight to his bedside, and took his hand.

"Fitz," She said, swallowing back tears – she couldn't cry yet, "I'm here, you need to go into surgery now, ok?"

"Liv," He choked, out, reaching up and slipping his oxygen to the side of his mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You have to go into surgery, now."

"I love you, I'm sorry-" He was starting to be visibly weaker, "Such an asshole-"

"It's ok, Fitz," Olivia told him, "But you have to go-"

"I know," He replied, "But – don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Stay with me."

"I will as much as I'm allowed."

"I love you," He repeated, as if he thought she hadn't heard him the first time.

"I love you," She replied, leaning down and kissing his forehead, "Now will you get that bullet out?"

He nodded solemnly as he slipped his oxygen back on, and Olivia went right out into the hall as his heart meter started beeping in an even more concerning way than it had before. She wasn't up on medical equipment, but the way the nurses came running, and the way that his body was – she knew it wasn't good.

"He's ready! Get him into surgery, now." She nearly screamed down the hall.

His doctor came running down the hall and they whisked him right off to surgery. She watched as they raced the stretcher down the hall, walking with it as far as she could, then simply standing in the middle of the hallway on the opposite side of the sliding doors they had just wheeled him through.

"Liv," Cyrus said as he returned, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You should sit down. C'mon – I'll sit with you."

Olivia let him usher her, as she started to fall apart, and one of the secret service had to come and help Cy get her through the waiting room the first lady was sitting in. They brought her into a room that was off to the side, it was smaller, and the couch was leather. It was a much more comforting room than the cold aura of a waiting room. Cy helped her onto the couch, and then disappeared for a minute, coming back with tissues and a glass of ice water.

"They know where to find us for an update," He informed her.

"What happened, Cy? Tell me, exactly what happened."

"I saw it from the window," He took a deep breath, "The President was walking with his guards from Marine One. He had almost made it when shots were fired. The agents reacted perfectly. By the time I got there they were loading him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. He told me to get you – he was asking for you all the way to the hospital – they put him right back onto Marine One and airlifted him here. We tried to get Mellie to calm him down and get him into surgery – but she just kept asking for you. Screaming for you – but I assume the yelling was probably the pain."

"It's my fault."

"How do you figure that?" Cyrus asked, his brow furrowed.

"I made him keep this stupid job," She said, "I pushed him."

"He's the president, Olivia," Cy reminded her, and she shook her head.

"It wasn't the President that I saw in there, Cyrus," She just about snapped, "That is the love of my life. That man, that was lying in a hospital bed choking and weak – he isn't just the president – he's the man I love. The only man I'll probably ever really love. He wanted to give up the presidency – he's wanted to for ages, but I've made him hold onto it."

"Langston's waiting to see if the President can recover enough to declare war himself," Cyrus piped up, interrupting her.

"How many people heard?"

"By now? I would assume everyone in the country-"

"No, Cy," Olivia said, take a deep breath and dabbing her eyes, "How many people heard him calling for me?"

"They're all under oath, Liv."

"Good," She took a deep breath.

"Is there anyone you want me to call? Anyone you want to come and sit with you?"

"No," Olivia replied, the only one that knew anything really about her and Fitz was Steven – and he would come, but he wouldn't be there for hours, "Why're you being so nice to me, Cy?"

"Because," He took a deep breath, "Whether I like it or not, he loves you. You were the only one that he was asking for, and the only one that could convince him – however easily – that he needed to go into surgery. You may very well have just saved the president's life. And you love him, which isn't ideal, but you do. Your career is just as much on the line as his, and you came here without even a second's thought. His presidency is about to change, dramatically, if he makes it out of this. And, to be honest, there's no way we're going to make it through the rest of his presidency without you on board."

"Five hundred and forty two days," She mumbled under her breath, looking at the clock on the microwave in the corner – one that was displaying that it was well past midnight.

"Yeah, well," Cyrus said, taking a deep breath, "That's if he makes it through tonight."

"Can we get an update?" Olivia asked nervously, and Cy got up to go and check.

**918 days ago.**

Olivia was in her room that was acting like her changing room in the White House after the inaugural parade, and Fitz's speech. She had just taken off her necklace, and was about to change into her dress for the party that she had to attend that evening when there was a knock on the door. She set the necklace on the bureau and went over to answer it. Fitz was on the other side, smiling and holding up a bottle of scotch.

"And now we celebrate," He was grinning like a child, the way that Olivia couldn't help but return as he shut the door behind himself.

"Fitz," She smiled as he pulled glasses out of his pockets, and set them on the bureau, pouring out two glasses for them.

"I hate scotch," She commented, and he chuckled.

"I know," He drank his, then hers.

"Very gentlemanly, Mr. President," She teased him, and he held up a finger to tell her to wait.

"You know me better than that," He pulled another bottle out of his back pocket, a miniature bottle of wine – her favorite kind too.

He opened it for her, and she took a sip, straight from the bottle. She only got one sip before his lips were crashing onto hers and he was putting her wine back down on the bureau. She moaned as he maneuvered her over towards the bed, sitting down and pulling her down to sit beside him. Her arms were around his neck, and his were low on her hips as he rotated them around and hovered above her.

"Fitz."

"I know," He replied, pained, "After tonight, we're done. You made that clear – you have no idea how much I wanted to lose this election. Please, sweet baby, just let me have this one last time with you?"

"We can't."

"I think you'll find we can," He replied, leaning in and kissing her softly, "Just this last time."

"The nurse at the station said that she would go check and be back with an update – but no news is generally good news," Cyrus interrupted Olivia's memory as he came back into the room.

"Thanks," Olivia said as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

"Are you sure you want to see whatever's on that?" He asked and she nodded.

"All that's left is to sit here and drive myself nuts worrying – I might as well worry knowing what's going on," She replied and Cyrus nodded.

"…It was not a full hour after the shots were fired that East Sudan leaders came forward – taking credit for the attempt on the President's life," The news anchor who appeared to be standing outside of the hospital was saying as she slipped to the news.

"It's getting pretty crowded out there," Cyrus said as the news went into analyzing the President's odds, Cy was clearly trying to distract her, "If you wanted to go home tonight – we should get you out of here soon."

"I'm not going anywhere, Cy," Olivia replied, "I promised him I would stay by his side."

"He's in surgery."

"I'm not leaving, Cy."

"I didn't really expect you to," He replied.

"What did they think they were going to accomplish by this?" Olivia asked, and Cyrus shrugged.

"Code blue, OR One…"

The intercom went off, and Olivia's heart felt like it was going to explode as Cyrus' phone went off. Olivia went out into the hall and watched as extra doctors and nurses rushed into the operating room.

"Liv," Cy hollered, pulling her back into the room and slipped his cell phone into his pocket, "Langston's meeting with congress, they're going to declare war."

"Not like this," Olivia breathed.

"I'm going to go," Cyrus said, "I'm going to try and delay it as long as I can – Hal!"

"Yes, sir?" He replied.

"Stay with Olivia, make sure she gets whatever she wants," Cy said, "The President's already specified that she's the first to see him afterwards – either way, so stay with her, ok?"

"Ok," Hal said, and he put an arm around Olivia, guiding her back into the little waiting room, and shutting the TV off, "No need to watch that."

"Thanks, Hal," She replied as a nurse all up in scrubs appeared in the doorway.


	4. Wild Horses

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews…here we go on chapter Four, which I think will be something you'll all have been waiting for. The song for the title is by Rolling Stones.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Four: Wild Horses

At some point it had started raining outside, and Olivia looked out of the window as it fell, pretty heavily. Fitz was out of surgery, and she was sitting in his room with him, just as morning was starting to show in the sky. All in all in the end they had lost him twice in surgery, and now he was getting stronger, or at least each time they came in to check in on him they said that the longer he slept the better, it would give him the most strength right away. Still, Olivia sat there holding his hand, watching his face – which was obscured slightly by a nasal oxygen tube running into his nose. Cyrus had returned just as he got out of surgery. Olivia went in and saw him, then went to the bathroom while, she was told later that the first Lady peaked into the room – and then was taken back to the White House. She had told Cy to warn Olivia that she would send the children to see their father in the afternoon.

Olivia sat in the darkened room, holding Fitz's hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb soothingly. They had long since left her alone, the doctors asking her to get them when he woke up so that they could come and give him a look over. Tom and Hal were standing outside the door, which was closed. She brought her hand up, and stroked the side of his face.

"C'mon, Fitz," She whispered.

Olivia stood up and leaned over him – pressing her lips against his gently, then pulling away again. She ran her hand across his forehead, and down his cheek. The rain was falling down the window pane, and Olivia looked down into his face, her hand slipping down his arm and taking his hand back, squeezing it.

"Livy," He breathed, wincing as he tried to move.

"Don't try a move – you're going to be in pain for a while," Olivia told him, "They lost you twice."

"Well I'm glad they got me back."

Olivia called out through the door to Hal and Tom to get the doctors. The doctors came in and checked him out, checked his mental status, and checked that he was starting the recuperation process properly. Cy came in and told him what had happened, who had shot him, and Hal and Tom came in to apologize – they had both taken the night off. They left, and Olivia gazed down at him.

"Why am I in here?" She asked and he furrowed his brow, "Cyrus said that I was the only one allowed to hear about you – either way."

Fitz swallowed.

"I'm tired, Livy," He replied, letting his eyes close.

Olivia raised her eyebrows, and he tried to scoot over on the bed.

"What're you doing? You're going to hurt yourself," She commented.

"I'm sliding over," He replied, exhausted, "Because if you're going to make me tell you, I'm going to at least attempt to hold you while I do so."

"What kind of chance do I have of talking you out of this?" Olivia was watching him wearily.

"I was shot, I'm not dying," He said, "I can drape my good arm over you – unless you've decided that I'm simply too weak – you can't get past the oxygen in my nose, and the huge bandage on my chest – or the fact that I died twice tonight— But hey, they took the catheter out."

"Shut up," She said, sliding onto the bed and he put his right arm around her, "That only means that I'm going to have to help you in and out of the bathroom."

"I can get a nurse to help me – but.."

"I will help you," She took a deep breath, "But start talking."

"Livy, I love you, so much," He said, turning his head just enough to kiss the side of her head.

"Speak, Fitz."

"I'm not sidetracking," He replied, "You – you're not like the Reverend's mistress – you're my, you're the love of my life, Liv. I'm not the Reverend, this job – it's not my whole life. Eventually, I will be free to take you as mine free and clear. After what happened with the Reverend, I revised my will. All hushed up – the kids get most everything, but you have all the power if I go into a coma, and you and Cyrus are my medical contacts if anything ever happens – you two get to know and get to say who knows. That's why you come in first. I get death threats by the hundreds per day – I knew this wasn't the safest job all along. And I would never have it so that you were simply forgotten. Right now, if I'm to die – there is a clause, an announcement as it were – explaining that I leave to you the house in the Hamptons."

"Can you do that?"

"It's in my name," He shrugged, then continued, "And that you are to be treated as a widow of the President of the United States."

"Really?" She was surprised, "So that's why Cyrus was being so kind to me."

"I'll take it off and completely revamp it once I'm out of office and divorced," He replied with a smirk and Olivia nodded, leaning in and kissing his forehead, "I love you, Livy."

"Don't you dare scare me like that ever again," She slipped off the bed, and Fitz was tired and exhausted but he pouted slightly.

"What?" Olivia asked as she went to her purse.

"You said you weren't going to leave."

"I'm not," She replied, "I just have to let Abby know that I'm not going into work tomorrow."

"You? Skip a day of work?" He mocked and Olivia rolled her eyes as she sat in a padded chair, "C'mon, I thought you were going to be 'by my side'?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to push it," She responded and he nodded solemnly.

"C'mon, Livy," His voice was getting dry and drowsy, "At this point we're either screwed, or we got a pass for the night."

"What're we going to do?" She blurted out and he sighed heavily.

"Tonight? We're going to sleep," He said it as if she had no other option, "I'm exhausted, and I'm not planning on worrying about anything else until tomorrow. Sally Langston's acting President until I am cleared by my doctors. Until then, I'm free to recover as I please – and I think it would be beneficial if I just didn't worry about anything. You too, you look like you've been hit by a truck."

"You know what they say about people who're living in glass houses," She commented as she went to lay down with him again, and he leaned his head over toward her, "And it's not every day that the secret love of your life who just happens to be president gets shot in the chest."

"It missed my heart," He replied, still noting that she had been worried about him, "Relax, I would never leave you like that, not if I could do anything about it – and even then I will fight like hell to make sure I never leave you."

She cuddled up into him as best she could without feeling like she was going to hurt him, or cause something to go wrong.

"You wanna turn on the news?" He chuckled, though sounding half in pain, "See which stations are outside?"

"They were all outside earlier," Olivia tried to hide her inner panic, "Let's just go to bed – I'm exhausted."

"Ok," He replied, leaning over and kissing the top of her head and she let herself relax.

Cyrus hadn't told him what had become of his country, what Langston had done in his absence. That Cyrus had been unable to interfere in time, and that America was now at war. The man who was holding her had no idea that the first troops were being sent over as they laid there, in the hospital bed, pretending that they were free. They were the exact opposite, as soon as he was better – he was a wartime president. He not only was shot, but his whole attempt to keep America at peace was gone. And unless this war was over very quickly, he might have to run for a second term. She didn't want to think about it, but it was the only thing she could think about. One thing was certain though – he didn't have to know yet.

"Ok," He whispered, "Liv, what's going on?"

"What – nothing," She attempted to lie, and he raised his eyebrows.

"You're lying," He replied.

"Just go to sleep, Fitz," She urged and he narrowed his gaze.

"There's something you're not telling me."

"Cy will tell you in the morning," Olivia said simply, "It's not something you want to hear from me tonight."

"I can't think of anything that I would rather Cy tell me than you," He replied.

"Please don't make me," She pleaded, and he recognized it in her voice.

"You tell me in the morning then?"

"After Karen and Gerry come in for their visit," Olivia bargained for more time.

"Ok," He breathed, "Why am I so damn tired?"

"Sleep, Mr. President," Olivia whispered as she ran her hand around his temple softly.

"Is that an order?" He asked, almost too exhausted to voice his playful remark as he drifted off to sleep.

Olivia stayed awake for a while, just listening to the monitor beeping each time the president's heart beat. It was comforting, and she tried to concentrate on it rather than what she was going to have to break to him once the sun was up. She sighed as she looked up into his face and want to cry. By the time he had retained his title, it would be too late. There would be too many troops over there. She didn't blame Langston, all signs and arrows and procedures said that her decision was the right one. Especially if she had known the President's plan to go to war anyways – the way that America was routing for it – the way that East Sudan was so eagerly calling them into it.

She was being selfish, she knew that. She wanted it to be done, she just wanted him to be done with being president. She wanted him to be able to be with her – and she didn't want to have to wait for him anymore. She wanted to take him, gun shot and all, home and take care of him – make him better. What happened if someone, eventually, actually succeeded in an assassination attempt on him? Sure he had set it up so that she would get the recognition that he wanted her to have – but she wouldn't have him. She wouldn't get her Fitz in the end, as he had promised.

Olivia woke up in the morning to a clothing delivery from Cyrus. He had brought her a new outfit and things to take a shower. She went into a bathroom of a neighboring room and freshened up for the day. As she was putting on her makeup, she heard a couple familiar faces in the hall.

"Karen? Gerry?" Olivia walked out into the hallway as Cyrus was leading them to their father's hospital room.

"Auntie Liv," Karen smiled, as both of the near teenagers nearly attached themselves to her.

"Is dad ok?" Gerry asked.

Olivia gave each of them a little squeeze, then stepped back. Cyrus gave her a look like 'They might as well be your problem now' and headed off in the other direction. Olivia looked down and smiled at Fitz's children. They were hardly children anymore, Karen was twelve, almost thirteen and Gerry had just turned eleven. Karen was sweet, innocent, scholarly – Gerry was young, the spitting image of his father. However, there were slight differences, he was athletic, and could care less about school work and learning. Olivia had personally helped him – along with his tutor – on the campaign trail.

"Your dad is weak," Olivia told them, "He has oxygen through his nose to make sure he gets enough air – because the bullet went into his lung, so he can't breathe so well right now. The doctors came in this morning to check on him – and they said that he's out of the woods – so we just have to take good care of him, and keep him safe, ok?"

"Ok," Karen nodded.

"And he's tired," Olivia said, looking to Jerry, "You know how when you're sick you get tired?"

"Yeah," Karen replied for him, but he nodded.

"That's like what your dad's like right now," Olivia said, and then nodded as she put a hand on each of their shoulders.

She guided them the rest of the way down the hallway, and into their father's hospital room. Hal and Tom smiled slightly at the kids as they opened the doors for them. The President had arranged himself so that the back of his chair was up, and had pillows everywhere – covering the scary parts, and keep him looking as if he were simply lying down, with a smile plastered onto his face. It was one thing to see him as president, another to see him romantically – but something completely different to seeing as the great father that he was.

"Daddy," Karen said, each of them running to either side of his bed.

"Hey, Kare," He smiled, then turned to Gerry, "Gerry."

"Are you going to be ok, Dad?" Gerry asked, and Fitz nodded.

"I'm gonna be fine," He replied, smiling at them, "I don't want you two worrying about me, ok?"

"Daddy, we saw it," Karen admitted, and Fitz furrowed his brow.

"What?" He replied, looking like a deer in the headlights.

He exchanged a look with Olivia, then assured the kids that he was going to be fine. He finished off the visit with them, and then when Cy came in, asked the Secret Service to bring them back to the white house.

"Cy, make sure that they get to talk to someone?" He said as soon as they were gone, "I don't want them struggling with seeing that."

"Ok, sir," He replied, "But there's something that you need to know."

"Livy, you ready to tell me?"

"Oh, you're telling him? Good," He smiled, like he was actually experiencing joy, "I'll go find your kids a therapist."

He left, everyone left until it was just Olivia and Fitz were in the room.

"Liv?"


	5. Her Diamonds

A/n: The song's by Rob Thomas. Short Chapter, but trying to get back into the swing of it Sorry for taking so long guys I'll try to keep it up a little better…

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Five: Her Diamonds

Olivia wasn't sure she had done the right thing, she had just blurted it out. Any reminisce of happiness that had been on his face from Karen and Jerry's visit was gone. He had gone pale, stoic, and it was like he was made of stone. She kept wanting him to say something, anything. She reached over the uninjured side of his body and put her hand on his cheek, he took her hand off his cheek – she was about to apologize when he pulled her in, with just enough strength that she knew what he was getting at. He pulled her towards him, and she got the hint to cuddle up beside him again.

"Fuck," He finally said, discouraged, upset, unhappy – but not angrily, "I was trying so hard not to go to war."

"I know."

"No, you don't, Liv," He cut her off, "I shouldn't be President. Anyone else, would go to war. And they should have, already. The country has been handing out more threats to us than there are flyers on a college campus. According to the search we had they have nuclear weapons. And this whole week I've been just wanting to avoid it. I've just wanted to get through my term and let it be the next guy's problem. Because it's not going to be a quick and easy war, it might take some time."

"Time?"

"More than I would like it to," He replied, sighing, "Because all I want to do is wait around until I'm not president anymore. My heart isn't in it, my heart is in this, in us. I can't put the country first, because it's you that I think of whenever something like this shows up."

"Fitz."

"Don't worry about it, Livy," He replied, "I'll figure something out."

The President's own words echoed in his head as he walked into the oval office the first time since he had returned from the hospital. He hadn't seen Olivia in days, since he had gotten out of the hospital because Mellie threw a hissy fit about the will, that she apparently had just found out about, and threatened all sorts of – mostly outlandish – things if Olivia showed up at the White House. He spent the rest of his recovery trying to figure out how to fix it, so to speak.

"Sir, are you sure you're ready for the address?" Cy asked as he walked in behind him.

"Of course I'm sure," He replied and Cy gave him a concerned look.

"Sir, there's nothing been written up," He said, "You're really just going to wing it?"

"I'm not winging anything," Fitz replied, "I just have to go and find-"

"You ok, sir?" Cyrus asked and Fitz shook his head.

"But I will be."

Four hundred and ninety-seven days, he thought to himself. He had been that close to working this out.

**978 Days Ago. **

"Liv, what're you doing?" Fitz asked as he walked into her hotel room, it was the night before voting day.

She was all scrunched up, head on her pillows and laptop against her legs, looking at the screen intently.

"You're ahead in the polls," She said as he closed the door, "I'm making sure you stay there."

"Livy, the polls open in nine hours," He sat on the end of her bed, watching her carefully, "I don't think anything's gonna happen."

"I'll make sure of it."

"You and I, and Cy have to rejoin the rest of the campaign tomorrow," He said, scooting back, then lying so that was looking up at her from the bed.

"What's your point?" She asked.

"I think you know exactly what my point is," He replied, sitting up a little bit more and forcibly taking her laptop from her.

"Hey! Fitz! I was using that," She replied, "To make sure that you get elected."

"I don't want to get elected," He replied, leaning in and kissing her softly, "I've told you that many times. Can you make sure that I'm not elected?"

"I won't do it," She replied, "You are going to be a great president."

He wrapped her up in his arms, and she snuggled her face right into his chest. He was slightly taken off guard, that wasn't her general response. Usually, she put up some sort of fake fight, like she didn't want to be in his arms, which they both knew without a doubt was the only position either of them wanted to be in. Then, suddenly – he felt he start to shake and quiver in his arms.

"Hey, hey now, Livy," He whispered as he held her closer and saw a tear start to roll down her cheek, and she struggled to keep them in.

"I'm sorry," She breathed.

"I've never seen you cry," He breathed, setting himself up against the headboard as he pulled her up and she set her head on his chest.

"I don't believe in crying," She said defiantly, and he raised his eyebrows, "It doesn't help. It doesn't help the fact that you're going to be elected President of the United States tomorrow. It doesn't help the fact that I'm madly in love with you. It doesn't help the fact that you're married with two of the most beautiful children I've ever seen. It doesn't help the fact that I'm going to have to let you go."

**Present Day.**

Fitz walked into the residence, with Tom and Hal stopping at their proverbial front door. Fitz smiled as he walked into the study to find both Gerry and Karen doing their homework on the couch.

"You have the whole White House to do homework in and you pick our study?" He teased them as he walked in, "The Lincoln Library doesn't sound like a good place?"

"Are you just trying to get us out of the way so you and mom can fight again?" Karen asked.

"No, there's no more fighting, we talked to you guys weeks ago about it, remember?"

"Yeah," said Gerry sadly.

"I promise guys, things are going to get a lot better," He said, "Especially for you."

"Dad, we're not little," Karen, summoning every little part of herself make herself a little more grown up than her newly fourteen year old self, "We know, we understand, don't we Gerry?"

"Yeah," He said, and Fitz wrapped an arm around each of them.

"I love you two so much, you know that, right?"

"We love you too, Dad," Gerry replied, "What happens with the new baby?"

"Well, he's not going to remember mom and I ever being together," He replied, "So it's probably a good idea for you guys not to bring it up to him when he gets older, ok?"

"We're not supposed to talk about it?"

"I want you guys to talk about it," He shook his head, "I want you to tell mom and I whatever you can – and if there's something maybe you're angry about and upset and just need to yell – tell your councilors, ok? I want you guts to be able to get it all out. It's ok to be angry and yell at us too, if you want."

"Hey," Olivia said as she walked into the residence, Hal and Tom stopping at the door that they had opened for her, "What's going on? Why am I here – I thought…"

"Livy," Fitz's whole face lit up.

"What's going on?"

"C'mon, Gerry," Karen took her brother and left the room, "Let's go watch a movie in the theater."

"Good idea," He encouraged, as each of them hugged Olivia and headed out of the room.

"Fitz, what am I doing here?"

"I needed to see you," He said as he took a few steps closer to her.

"Fitz-" She took a deep breath as he pulled her into his arms.

"Livy, I'm going to make everything right," He replied.

"Fitz," Olivia's already confused looking face seemed to only get more confused as Fitz took her hand and led her to the couch, "What's going on, Fitz?"

"I figured out a way to make everything better," He replied and she gave him a worried look as he sat down, but didn't resist as he pulled her down into his lap.

"What about Mellie?" Olivia was perplexed – last she had checked Mellie had banned her from the White House, the numbers to every newspaper, magazine, and gossip rag programmed into her phone.

"What about her?" He asked, "She's in California. I took care of it, I'm going to take care of a lot more than I have been, starting now."

"Why do I feel like whatever you're scheming is going to turn out in disaster?"

"You're not the only one who can manage a crisis," He replied.

"Fitz, what're you going to do?" Olivia's eyes went wide.

"I'm finally going to do what I've known I should years ago," He replied, "I'm going to make everything right."

"Fitz, what about…"

"I'm not some muttering incompetent man," He replied, "I'm taking charge, this isn't going on any more than it has."


	6. The World That We Live In

A/N: Hey Guys! Like I said, I'm trying to get these chapters out faster (not this fast, this is a hey, I do still care here's a bonus for you guys)…. Hard with classes – but I'm working on it. The Song's by The Killers. I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks for sticking with me!

Apparitions in The Night

Chapter Six: The World That We Live In

Fitz walked Olivia to the door of the residence; it was two hours before he was supposed to address the American people. They both thought it would be best if she wasn't actually in the White House when he gave the address. He still hadn't told her much about it, but something told her it would be best to be as far from there as possible. No matter what he was about to tell the American people, the address itself meant that the place was about to be a jungle, reporters showing up and storming the castle.

"I love you, so much," He breathed, leaning in and kissing her forehead softly.

He pulled away, and his perfect eyes met hers. He could still she that she was cautious, that she didn't trust him, that she was worried about what was about to happen. He took a deep breath, running his fingers through her hair softly. He leaned in and kissed her nose adoringly.

"You don't trust me," He replied and she swallowed.

"What reason have you ever given me to?" She asked, and he sighed.

"Starting tonight, I'm going to start being able to give you an answer to that," He replied, "You have to trust me for tonight though."

"You're the president of the United States, a lot of damage can be done in one night," She pointed out.

"Livy," He breathed, "I love you – you have nothing to worry about."

"Why won't you just tell me what's going on?" She asked and he gave her a little boyish smirk – the one he knew with her meant that he could get away with murder.

"Because you'll talk me out of it," He said simply.

"You shouldn't have told me that much," She replied, knowing almost exactly what he was going to do.

"Go," He replied, "I have an address to give in a couple hours. Promise you'll watch?"

"I've never missed one," She replied, "Why would I start now?"

"I'll call you afterwards," He leaned in and kissed her softly.

He opened the door and asked Tom and Hal to escort her from the building and bring her home before she could say anything else. They both nodded and Fitz watched her walk away with them, his heart nearly ripped from his chest as he watched her go.

**1,010 Days Ago**

"Good morning," Olivia smiled as Fitz's eyes started to open.

They were lying in bed, all entangled in each other, the sheets twisted around them. He smiled, the sun wasn't even streaming through the window yet. He loosened the sheets up enough to pull them up over Olivia, and she smiled.

"Good morning?" He had finally processed what she had said, and took a glance at the clock, "It's four."

"Still morning," She said and he chuckled as he scooted over and snuggled her up in his arms, pressing his face into her shoulder.

"Why're you up?" He mumbled into her shoulder.

"What?" She chuckled and he pulled back, laying his head on the pillow and looking into her beautiful face.

"Why're you awake?" He repeated himself, "I was kind of hoping I could watch you sleep for a while."

She smiled coyly.

"Because I should get over to my room before anyone realizes I'm here," She replied and he rolled his eyes, pulling her nude form closer to his.

"They expect us to show up to things together," He commented.

"Not coming from the same hotel room," She replied, "Cy, for example."

"Eh, screw 'em," He gave her a small smile, "I've been dreaming of holding you like this for way to long for you to leave just yet."

"Governor, you have a campaign to run," She replied.

"Did you just call me Governor? In bed?" He asked, perplexed, "Besides, what campaign is there to even run? Didn't I just throw it? And very happily so?"

"You'd be surprised, Fitz," She put emphasis on saying his name this time, "But I really should go."

"Of course you should," He replied, though neither of them moved.

"How did I end up here?"

"You wouldn't go into your room," He replied smartly, and she gave him a little smile.

"That's not what I meant," She replied and he nodded.

"I know," He replied, "And I don't know. You're so put together, have everything figured out. So, how did you end up tangled up in affections with a candidate for the Presidency? I'm not sure. But, I do know that I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me either," She admitted quietly, after a long silence with her forehead to his shoulder.

"You know that saying, 'People make plans and God laughs'?" He asked, and she made a noise of comprehension, "I think I've just experienced that. I wanted to be President, but apparently God just wanted me to meet you."

"I told you, your presidency's fine," Olivia replied, "As long as 'this' doesn't happen again…"

"You're not understanding me," He replied, leaning in and kissing her deeply, very happily realizing he was being kissed back, "Livy, I love you. I don't care about – anything else."

"I should go."

She backed slowly out of his arms, trying to keep her cool but her eyes gave her away. She was terrified, terrified of what she had just unleashed, but not just in him. He laid back, realizing that he had spoken a little too quickly, and started to beat himself up over it as she went around the room assembling her outfit so that she could get back to her own room.

She closed the door behind her as she walked into the room she had supposed to spend the night in. Wheeling her suitcase behind her, she lifted it up onto the dresser, doing everything that she would have had she actually spent the night there. She brushed her teeth in the sink, making sure to leave just a little bit of tooth paste on the side, turned on and off the lamps, turned the tv on for a while. She changed into pajamas, tossed and turned a little bit on the bed – causing the sheets to be perfectly misplaced, then turned off the TV and went to bed. A cover up was only as good as the level of commitment.

**Present Day.**

Olivia said goodbye to Hal and Tom at the door, and walked into her apartment. She set her purse down on the counter and threw her coat onto the hook behind the door. She went to walk into the living room to turn on the TV, find something to watch so she wouldn't drive herself crazy thinking about what Fitz was going to do, when she felt off. Something wasn't right. She was about to step into the living room when the hair on the back of her neck went up, she knew something was wrong.

If she hurried, she might be able to catch Tom and Hal before they left the parking lot, she started to back up slowly when she hit something solid – almost right away. She screamed, and turned around, instinctively hitting whatever was behind her without a second's thought.

"Ow!" Steven held the arm that she had managed to swipe, "This is the last time I come and visit you."

"Steven!" She hit him again, for good measure this time, "What the hell are you doing here? And what the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me?"

"Well, you stopped answering my phone calls, and Abby called and told me you were having a hard time," He replied, "Also, I wasn't sneaking up on you."

"What is with men thinking that me not taking their calls means that they can just barge in here?" Olivia said exasperatedly.

"Liv, what's going on?" Steven asked.

"Fitz was shot."

"Yes, the whole world knows that," Steven replied, "And you already said, remember, when I called you that night? Oh, you wouldn't have because you didn't pick up the phone."

"I was at the hospital, I mustn't have heard it ring," Olivia excused.

"What about the next morning, or the sixty odd times I've called you since?" He replied.

"I didn't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Liv, what's going on?"

"He loves me," She said it as if it was one word, within one exhale.

He gave her a confused look, then she dove right into the entire story as he ushered her over to the couch. She told him about getting a call from Cyrus instead of Fitz, and being called to the hospital, the will, and having to stay away, about what had happened with the war with East Sudan, everything.

"…And now he's addressing the country tonight, and it's supposed to be him reaccepting the presidency," She said, "But something tells me…"

"That's not what he's going to do," Steven finished for her.

"And I don't blame Abby for being concerned," She continued, "Because since you left I don't have a friend I can rant to and tell about all this stuff – I have no doubt in my mind that for the past few months I've been presenting myself as bat-shit crazy."

"Deep breaths, Liv," He reminded her, "Deep breaths."

"Georgia was ok with you leaving to come check in?" Olivia asked after a minute of taking his advice.

"I scheduled a meeting with a firm as a cover," He said, "Told her that I'm starting to miss it down here."

"Are you?"

"No," He replied, "I miss you, but that's about it. And honestly, when you think about your past twenty-four hours, whatever happened, do you honestly blame me?"

"No," Olivia admitted, and he nodded.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't… Bat-Shit crazy," He replied, "Which apparently you are, so I guess I'm sticking around for a few days."

"Steven, I love you," She replied, "But I'm a big girl, you can't come running every time I'm in the littlest bit of trouble. I can fend for myself."

"I've been gone just a few months and your whole life's coming apart at the seams," He pointed out, "You know, I might be able to actually come back down here."

"I would love for you to move back here," Olivia said, "But not if it's only to babysit me, and not if it's going to ruin your marriage. You're doing so well – coming back here would only ruin it. You'd fall back into all the same patterns."

"I don't think I would," He replied, then made a face, "You know I wouldn't."

"You left, Steven."

"So that's what this is about?" He replied, "I've abandoned you? So you won't answer my calls, my emails, or accept me back to help you?"

"I have to turn the TV on," She had no more time for him, but he understood he sat gloomily on the other end of the couch as she turned it on with the remote.

"…and now a special address from the President of the United States."

"Good evening my fellow Americans," Fitz appeared on the screen, sitting in the oval office, "Two months ago, this country was on the brink of war. Two Months ago, I was shot walking from Marine One to the front door. My children watched me go down on the White House Lawn. Vice President Langston brought this country into war while I was on an operating table. That was two months ago. Since then, I've been recovering and processing, and you have sent your sons, your daughters, your fathers, your mothers, your aunts, uncles, husbands, and wives – yourselves - into the line of fire in East Sudan.

For that, I, and your country thank you for that. There is no way that this country can properly repay our soldiers, those who are willing to fight so that we at home can maintain what we believe is the only way to live. With freedoms, that sometimes we take advantage of.

This is a nation at war, which is not the same nation that I was governing two months ago. And just like this country, I'm not the same man I was two months ago. Two months ago, I got a wake up call that I couldn't go on living like I was. My personal life was a mess, and I was too busy to be fixing it, and I wasn't entirely straight with the American people either. So, here it is. The morning I woke up in that hospital bed, I called for a lawyer. The first Lady and I have not been what we should be for a while, and I am in love with a beautiful woman – who isn't my wife. The divorce will be finalized at the end of the week.

I am more than willing to finish out my term as President, if the American people will allow it, but I can't lead a country at war without being completely honest with them. I can't ask whole companies to ship out 'for America' if I don't put value on them enough for them to keep believing in a dead marriage as a symbol of their country. And I can't lead the country without being able to have her in my life. That is all, thank you good night, and may God bless all of your families."


	7. Little Lion Man

A/N: Hey guys… turns out writing this is one of the few things keeping me sane. The Title's a song by Mumford and Sons. :) be sure to leave a review!

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Seven: Little Lion Man

"Did he just-" Steven tried to put words to the silence as Olivia flicked off the TV, like it would take back what had just happened.

"Yes, yes he did," Olivia was still staring blankly at the screen.

"How about some wine," Steven hopped up from the couch and went to the kitchen before she could even answer.

"That'd be good," she said, so delayed that he was already returning to her with two huge glasses of wine.

"So what happens now?" Steven asked as he sat back down.

"He goes by approval ratings, which will plummet," She said, holding the glass to her lips, eyes still wide, "Then, probably sometime next week, he resigns officially."

"I knew that part," said Steven sighing as he took a sip from his glass, "I meant what does this mean for you?"

As if on cue, the phone tang from the side table on Olivia's side of the couch. Instinctively, Olivia looked at the clock, ten on the dot, as always.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"I very possibly just decimated our count," He replied, "By about four hundred seventy give or take, whenever they decide to fully hate me. Cyrus is giving it four days til my approval ratings are down so low that they're chasing me out of here with pitchforks. Langston's overjoyed."

"Cyrus must be ready to give you another scar," Olivia replied and he chuckled.

"He can do it, apparently I'm bullet proof."

"Please don't joke like that."

"Are you ok?"

"You mean besides the fact that you just basically gave up the presidency," She replied, "And that you told me the divorce was going to be private until the end of your term."

"Well, most women would find it romantic that their _boyfriend_ would do something so dramatic," He replied, "To announce to the entire country, to the best of his ability, that he was in with her. Besides, all that's left on my divorce is the processing, the papers are all signed."

"I'm not most women."

"Which is why I asked if you were ok."

"I have a big glass of wine," She replied and he chuckled, "And Steven decided to come visit – so don't worry, he'll stop me from doing anything stupid. What about you?"

"The second the recording light went off you could see the press storming the lawn," He replied, "I told them no one was to speak to them and locked myself in my private study."

"Sounds like a good plan," Olivia replied, and he chuckled.

"Didn't Steven move?" He asked, trying to carry on the conversation like he hadn't just hit the big red button of his presidency, and she let him.

"He came to visit because Abby called him," Olivia said, and Steven took the hint to make himself scarce, "She apparently told him I was bordering bat-shit crazy."

"Did he leave the room yet?"

"Just," She replied.

"Livy, I love you," He said, "You have no idea how great I feel right now. I feel – free, I don't have weight on my shoulders anymore. Do you know how long I've felt like I was being crushed by this?"

"You know this isn't fully over," She replied, and he hummed his acceptance.

"But now, for the most part, it's out in the open," He replied, "I don't have to live in fear of someone figuring out that I'm in love with someone who's not my wife, the woman they've been misled to believe is the woman I want with me for the rest of my life. God, I wish I could see you."

"I don't think that's a good plan," She replied, "Especially tonight. Didn't you say the lawn's covered in reporters."

"Last I checked," He replied, "But absolutely no one in Washington would question you coming here tonight."

"Except everyone who knows now simply because you said something," Olivia replied.

"No one knows who you are to me, Liv," He replied, "Besides the kids, Cyrus, Hal, Tom, and Mel, but she had her own skeletons – Oh, and I assume some of the doctors and nurses at the hospital."

"Is that why you decided it would be okay to announce the divorce?" Olivia replied, "If she goes public with us, you have something up your sleeve?"

"That, and I was so exhausted of being such a sucky boyfriend."

"You keep calling yourself that," She chuckled, "Doesn't that imply that I've accepted you?"

"You're expecting me to actually ask you?" He replied, not really surprised, "Well, in that case, you're going to have to come over here."

"I'm not going over there."

"Well then I'm going to keep referring to myself as your boyfriend because it's not my fault you won't come over here," He teased her, "And I will never ask anyone – especially you – over the phone."

"Fine," She replied and he smiled as he put his legs up on the coffee table, "Since when are we in middle school?"

"I'd say since Mellie decided to fake a miscarriage to gain popularity," He replied, and Olivia laughed.

"You're sick."

"Mr. President," Cyrus burst into the study impatiently, and Fitz set the phone on his shoulder.

"What's up, Cyrus?"

"Tell Olivia I say hi," He said, annoyed.

"Cyrus says hi," Fitz picked up the phone.

"Hi Cy, and remind him if he tries to kill you it's still treason, and that he should wait a week."

"She says hi back, and that you should wait a week to kill me so it's not treason," He relayed and Cyrus nodded.

"It might up your approval ratings, which are undoubtedly in the toilet right now," Cyrus replied, "Or can we not almost kill you off twice in a row?"

"I don't know," Fitz was in a great mood, Cyrus couldn't argue that he was the happiest he'd been in years.

"Mr. President, Air Force One is waiting for you," Cyrus continued.

"Why? I'm not going anywhere tonight," Fitz looked perplexed, and Cyrus sighed.

"Mr. President, the first lady was hospitalized in California fifteen minutes ago," He replied, "Something to do with the baby, so if you don't want your approval ratings to completely flop and if you want any chance of retaining your presidency, you should probably grab Karen and Gerry and head out there."

"Liv, I'm going to have to call you back," He said, and hung up, getting to his feet, "I don't give a damn about my presidency, Cy. But you know what I do give a damn about, my kids. Karen, Gerry, and not America's Baby, but my baby. That's why I'm going to California. Where're Gerry and Karen, bed right?"

"Yes, sir," Cy replied, and he was off.

"Kids," Fitz called as he walked down their hallway in the residence minutes later.

"Dad?" Gerry popped his head out of his room.

"Get dressed," Fitz told him, "We have to go to California. Where's Karen?"

"She was watching a movie in the living room."

Fitz headed off in that direction.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy?" He was walking backwards.

"Is everything ok?" He asked and Fitz paused, taking a deep breath.

"I sure hope so," He said, "Get dressed, be in the living room in two minutes."

He walked into the living room to see Karen sitting on the couch watching a movie, still dressed from the day. He skipped over berating her for not going to bed when she was supposed to, but told her to shut it off, and grab anything she might need in the next twenty-four hours. That they were heading to California. He hadn't told either of the kids what was going on, and wouldn't until they were all on the plane.

"Dad, is everything ok with Mom?" Karen finally asked, once they were sitting in the living room section of Air Force One.

"No," He replied quietly, "Your mom was brought to the hospital about a half hour ago. Something happened with your brother, but the important thing is to stay calm. This could just mean that your brother decided to surprise us all and come earlier than expected."

"But it could also mean that mom's having a miscarriage," Karen replied, "She's had one before."

Fitz winced, he hadn't had the heart to tell Karen that was lie, and still didn't.

"It could be," He replied, "But we don't know, and we won't until we get to the hospital. In which case, I think you two should try and get some sleep. It's a long plane ride, and you guys are already exhausted."

"Ok, daddy," Karen said, getting up and going over, kissing his cheek.

Gerry walked over and gave his father a hug, then Karen encouraged him to head off to his bedroom. They stored an extra set of clothes for each of the children and a set of pajamas in each of their rooms aboard Air Force One. This was in case of emergencies, just in case – for things like this. Karen lingered after Gerry had gone to bed.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Fitz asked her as she sat down on his lap.

"Daddy, I think it was good, what you did earlier."

"What?"

"Your address, I watched it," She replied, "It was good, the best way for everyone to find out. And you did right by Auntie Liv, you love her a lot, I can tell. And I think that's ok. If everyone else doesn't think so, who cares? Aren't you always telling us not to worry about what they'll say about us, but to do what's right?"

"Thanks, Karen," He braved a smile, kissing the side of her head, "Why don't you go get some sleep, ok?"

"Of course, Daddy," She replied, and headed off for bed.

There was a small voice in the back of Fitz's head telling him that he should get some sleep too, but there was no way in hell that was happening. Flashes and pictures of his to his knowledge unborn son kept filling his head. He didn't know whether he was going to be ok, whether he was going to be raising a new son, or burying a small corpse, whether this was going to rank among the best days in his life, or the worst. Suddenly, the images flashing through his head were much too much for him to handle. He picked up the phone, asked for a secure line.

"Hello?" Liv answered, his Livy.

"I'm on a plane to California right now," He told her.

"I know, I saw it on the news," She replied, "The press hasn't got anything on her condition yet."

"It's not exactly her I'm worried about," He replied, "I mean, I'm not wishing her ill or anything – but-"

"You're more concerned for your son," Olivia knew exactly what he had meant.

"Exactly," He replied.

"Well, I'm assuming no news is good news," Olivia replied.

"Unless they're letting me find out first," He replied.

"Oh no, they're scrambling," Olivia told him, "Don't let the kids watch the news - any of it. One station just reported that Mellie's dead, another that she's fine and those are false reports. Seven's saying the baby was delivered healthy and both are fine. Five's just announced that she lost him."

"They have no idea," He replied.

"No," She said, "Channel six just said that it wasn't even Mellie that was admitted, but Karen with appendicitis."

"No, she's sleeping," Fitz replied, "That one I know. Speaking of Karen, I think she just gave us her blessing."

"What?" Olivia was pretty shocked.

"Yeah, took me by surprise too," He said.

"Well, what'd she say?"

He delved into telling her exactly what had happened from the moment he had hung up the phone to the moment he decided to pick up the phone and call her. In return, Olivia did her best to keep his mind occupied and not, at least on the surface, on the endless possibilities of what he was about to walk into for the rest of his flight. She talked to him until Tom and Hal came to tell him the Pilot was landing soon, and that he had to get the children buckled in before they could land.

Fitz held his children's hands, and bit his tongue with the paparazzi as the secret service brought him into the hospital in Burbank. It was the closest one to the family home, where Mellie was staying to pack up her things for the divorce. She got the house in LA, as per her request, and one in Aspen. Which meant she had to vacate all the other premises by a month after the baby was born, which she was getting a jump on in not wanting to be at the white house when he made his announcement anyways. She had the housekeepers of the other houses pack up any and all of her things for her. Burbank was the only one she cared to say goodbye to herself.

"Where's mom?" Gerry asked, rubbing his eyes as Fitz led the children into the hospital.

"She's just this way," The doctor that met them said as he led them towards the back of the hospital, the private section.

"Can we get a little information on what's going on?" Fitz asked as the doctor stopped them outside of Mellie's room.

"Go ahead in, kids," He said kindly, "Be quiet though, your mother's sleeping."

"Ok," Karen said, and she took Gerry and Tom's hands as they walked into the hospital room.

"What's going on?" Fitz asked the doctor, "I haven't gotten any real information yet."

"Your wife is fine," The doctor said, "But your son…"

"What about him? Where is he?" Fitz asked.

"He's in a private NIC room," The doctor assured him.

"What does that mean?"

"Sir, your son was born nearly a month and a half early," He replied, "He's very small, very weak. His lungs aren't properly developed, sir."

"What is it that you're telling me, Doc?" Fitz asked.

"Sir, it will be a miracle if he makes it through the night," He said, "Most babies form their lungs at this stage in the pregnancy. Your son's were already smaller and less developed than they were supposed to be, we had just pushed back about a week ago."

"Where is he?"

"Follow me, Mr. President."


	8. Tears in Heaven

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Eight: Tears in Heaven

Olivia was sitting on the edge of the bed in a house in Burbank, a substitute house in Burbank. Fitz had rented it, not wanting to share the house with Mellie and the kids before the everything was done. Soon, Mellie was moving to the house in Aspen, and taking the kids with her. The house that he was renting was just up the street and around the corner, but far enough away so that the press didn't know she was there. That wasn't their job – they didn't have to know anything about what was going on in regards to her. She was dressed in a sweater and khaki's, Fitz was in the shower. It was going to be a hard day.

**Four days ago.**

Olivia lied in bed, the news had finally started to get a pretty steady report in on the state of what was going on out in California. It seemed that the child was born much too prematurely for the doctors' liking and while Mellie was fine, the baby boy was very sickly. The baby was in the ICU, and Mellie was recovering with Karen and Gerry by her side. It was when the questions of where the President was that Olivia noticed the not-so-subtle to her hand of Cyrus swooping in to save the day, but mostly Fitz's presidency.

Not five minutes after the questions started to be raised, there was a release of about ten pictures of Fitz sitting by his son's side in the ICU. He was in scrubs, fully sanitized, and had a scrub cap while, by the pictures, watching his son very wearily. The baby, who they were now announcing as Maxwell Jefferson Grant, looked skeletal. He was hooked up to so many machines, with an intubation tube in his mouth, that you could hardly see the child's flesh.

The last picture they showed, Fitz very carefully holding Maxwell with Gerry and Karen looking on. This came with a plea from the first family, though Olivia knew very well that none of them had anything to do with it, it was all Cyrus. It was asking the American People to pray for Maxwell, and the first family in this hard time, supposedly from the first Lady and Fitz themselves. Again, Olivia knew better.

The phone rang, and Olivia silenced the TV, picking up before it had a chance to ring twice.

"Hello?"

"Auntie Liv?"

It was Karen, and she sounded on the verge of tears.

"Sweetie," Olivia smiled softly, "How're calling me, honey?"

"I took Daddy's personal," She replied, "Auntie Liv, I'm scared. The doctors keep saying stuff about Max. They don't think he's going to make it."

"Oh, Sweetie," Olivia sympathized, "Where's dad?"

"He won't leave Max," Karen informed her of what she already sort of knew, "He's got him up on his chest now, against his skin. They say it's helping him, but it's hard with all the wires."

Olivia got a very clear mental picture, and one that broke her heart. She swallowed, unable to let herself stay on the thought of Fitz's very well sculpted body holding the tiny sick infant, the wires coming out of him everywhere. She shivered.

"Where's mom?" Olivia asked her, trying to get the thought out of her mind.

"In her room," Karen replied, "She's refusing to leave it, she doen't want to even see Max. She keeps calling him 'America's baby', she keeps saying he's dead."

Olivia winced a little bit.

"Ok," She sort of cut Karen off, not wanting her to linger on what her mother was saying, "Sweetie, where's Gerry?"

"He's with dad."

It was very clear that Karen needed a break.

"Ok, sweetie," Olivia took a deep breath, "Who's with you?"

"Hal."

"Ok, you go get Gerry and have Hal take you down to the cafeteria and get some ice cream," Olivia suggested, "Take a break, sweetie, and relax. You pray for your brother, but there's nothing else anyone can do, ok?"

"Ok," Karen replied, she just needed someone to tell her what to do, and Olivia had a feeling that Fitz would want a minute alone with Max.

It was killing Olivia, not being there. She could still imagine him sitting there perfectly, in the hospital rocking chair with that sweet, perfect little boy in his arms – not knowing how long he had with him. She wanted to be there, to hold him while he held Max.

"You call me if you need anything, ok sweetheart?" Olivia said, "Gerry too."

"Ok, Auntie Liv," She replied.

"You take good care of your daddy, ok?"

"I will," She said, and then sighed, "I love you, Auntie Liv."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

**Present Day.**

Olivia heard the shower go off and stood up, finally getting around to making the bed as she heard Fitz step out of the bathroom. She finished fluffing one of the pillows when she looked up to see him standing, his towel wrapped around his hips, still dripping. She grabbed her towel from beside the bed, and went over to him, dabbing at the water droplets on his face.

"I wish you'd come today," He breathed as she kissed his cheek and went to drying his chest.

"I wish I could," She said as she carefully skirted around the scar on his chest, "I just don't think it'd be appropriate."

"Screw appropriate," He replied as she finished toweling his chest off, and he felt it was ok to take her into his arms, "I need you, today more than any other."

"Babe," Olivia said sympathetically, leaning up and kissing his jawline, "I will be right here waiting for you. You're going to be ok, alright? You're going to get through this."

"I'm giving up the presidency," He replied, still standing there, not moving, "I know my ratings are ok, but I'm giving it up. I'm a wreck, they have a point. I'm not fit to be president."

There was no denying that he was, in fact, a wreck. He was a walking wrecking ball, just slowly and somberly walking right through anything in his path.

"Babe, you've got to stop watching CNN," She replied, running her hand down his arm.

She had caught him the night before, they had some analyst on talking about how unfit he was to continue his term. How his personal life was a mess, and it would be distracting to him. They offered their sincerest apologies and sympathies for him, but honestly America was at war. The country couldn't afford to have their President in such a state as he was. But, Olivia knew that Fitz would never bounce anywhere near back without something to do, something to occupy his time. Giving up the Presidency wasn't something she was going to let him do just yet.

**Four Days Ago.**

Olivia rolled over in bed, not sure what to do about anything. She wanted desperately to call Fitz, or just to hop on a plane and head out there. This not knowing what was going on was going to be the death of her. She just kept thinking about and praying for that precious little boy. The one they kept flashing up on the news every couple of minutes, still waiting on news. Occasionally they got a new picture, Gerry or Karen kissing Max's head, or Fitz with his hand in his incubator.

And for the fourth time that night, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Livy," He breathed her name like he was coming out of a frozen over lake, desperate for air.

"Fitz," Her heart was ripped out of her chest, and breaking for him.

"Karen said she called you earlier."

"She did," Olivia replied, "How're you holding up?"

"I don't know what do, Liv," He replied, "How did this happen? How does this happen? How is this fair?"

"It's not, Fitz," She replied, taking a deep rattling breath, "He's adorable, for what it's worth."

"He's in pain," Fitz told her, "He's maxed out on any of the painkillers they can give him."

"What're they going to do?" Olivia asked.

"They keep saying that they can't do anything more for him," He replied, "Damn it, Liv, they can't even keep him comfortable."

"Karen said he was doing better on your chest," Olivia remembered.

"He was for a little while," Fitz replied, "But a bit of human contact can only do so much."

"What do the doctors want to do?" Olivia asked.

"They want to take him off the respirator," Fitz barely got it out.

"And what do you want?"

"You."

"I can't fix this, Fitz," She replied.

"I know," He replied, "But I want you here, with me."

"I'm on a plane, no one needs to know I'm there," She replied, "Anything else?"

"I want Mellie to acknowledge him," He said, "Max is going to die, and he's not even going to have known if his mother loves him or not. Never been held by her – she's not even showing interest in him – just screaming that he's dead before he is. They took her up to psych an hour ago. She's been silent since."

"I'm sorry, Fitz," She replied, "I'll have Steven drive me to the airport. I'll be there in, five hours tops."

**Present Day.**

"How is it that you are the President of the United States and don't know how to tie a tie?" Olivia asked as she went up and tied his tie for him as he held onto his suit jacket.

"I know how," He replied, "I just think you do it better."

"Deep breaths, ok?" Olivia reminded him, and he nodded.

"Deep breaths," He repeated under his breath.

"And don't be afraid to cry," She said, leaning up and kissing his cheek, "Strong men cry."

"I think I've gotten all the tears out," He replied, and she nodded, she had been there for that part.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?" He replied, his voice reduced to something less than it usually was.

"You don't have to say anything," She said, "Walk behind Mellie and with your parents, comfort Karen and Gerry, but have them walk with Mellie."

"Ok," He croaked, and she leaned up and kissed him – softly.

"And I will be here, waiting for you when you get back," She said, "Send Gerry and Karen with Mellie, ok?"

"This is ridiculous," He replied, "Why can't you just come?"

"Do you really want me to?" Olivia asked and he nodded.

"I need you, Livy," He replied, "I'm not strong enough to do this on my own. Screw what people think, I don't care."

"What about Mellie?" Olivia asked.

"What, are you worried about her feelings?" Fitz asked, "She's eating it all up. All the press – more publicity for her than the fake miscarriage. Karen and Gerry want you there too. She's knows you're here, she might even just be expecting you to go to the funeral."

"Ok," She said, "Let me change."

"Please do," He replied.

**One Day Ago: **

Olivia was down in the kitchen, cooking dinner for Fitz, hoping that he would eat something, at least. She could understand that he was upset, and grieving: his baby boy had just died in his arms – but it was his little boy that died, not him. He had to find a way to grow from this and move on. Mellie was out of the hospital, and as always, on top of all the arrangements. Her sickeningly fake stage face was on, and this time she was the heartbroken mother. Olivia took a deep breath as she checked the chicken in the oven.

She had gotten there the night before, and had gotten there just as they had called time of death at the hospital. Secret Service had met her at the airport and brought her to the house Fitz had called and rented when she said she was coming. She had arrived to find Fitz, still in scrubs, scotch in hand on the couch. He smelled as if he hadn't showered in days, and was – broken. More broken than he usually was. She got him up, washed out his scotch glass, and got him into the shower.

She remembered standing in the bathroom, pulling his scrub shirt off over his head, then slipping his pants down off his hips. She remembered getting into the shower with him, knowing that he would just stand under the water for hours without her help. She washed his hair, massaging his scalp, allowing him to let the water just run off of him. She cleaned him up, and then just ran her hands over his shoulders, around his scarred chest, and down his abs. Massaging him, letting him revel in the feeling of the water and her hands running back up towards his chest. Then, after a while, she shut the water off, and got him into bed.

She wasn't fully expecting him to sleep the first night, so she ran her hands around his scalp, massaging his head until he closed his eyes. She started to hum softly. He wrapped had wrapped his arms around her carefully, and kissed the top of her head.

"Sleep, babe," She whispered affectionately, "He's not in pain. He's at peace, and he's safe."

Olivia was taken out of her memory as Fitz appeared down in the kitchen. She assumed the smell food had made him think to get out of bed and come down to the kitchen. So there he was, standing in the kitchen in his Navy pajama shirt and flannel drawstring pants. His hair was all flattened and pretty much everywhere.

"Dinner's almost done," She told him, walking over and wrapping her arms up around his neck, "You think you can eat something now?"

"It smells delicious," He commented, knowing that he should compliment her cooking, but not really knowing how to in his given state.

"Ok," She said, leaning up and kissing his cheek gently, "Why don't you go sit on the couch, and I'll bring it to you when it's done."

"Can I do something to help you?" He asked and Olivia smiled, he was starting to come back, slowly.

"You can take the trash out," She offered up something simple, "Then if you're feeling up to it, you can go change. Karen and Gerry are coming over to spend the night, Karen called to say that they want out of the house, they're coming here for dinner, then going back much later tonight."

"Oh good," He replied slowly.

"So maybe we can watch a movie with them or something?" She said.

"They like Apples to Apples," He said,as if he was recalling a very old memory.

"Ok, we can play that if you're feeling up to it," She said, and he nodded as he grabbed the trash and tied up the bag.

"They still need a father," He told her quietly, "And you still need me. And I need to start trying."

"Fitz, it's only been a couple days," She told him, and he nodded.

"A couple of days that Karen and Gerry really needed their father for," He said, tears coming to his eyes.

He turned and walked away before they really started to fall.

**Present Day. **

Olivia helped Fitz to the car, the Secret Service surrounding them as they walked, but there was no press. All the press would be waiting by the church, or the cemetery. Knowing Mellie, they were going to be somewhere. Olivia took Fitz's hand once they were in the back of the black limousine, and it drove up the road to pick up Mellie and the kids. Olivia took a deep breath as the car pulled into the driveway. The kids came out right away and climbed into the back.

"Auntie Liv," Karen said in surprise, "I thought you weren't coming."

"Your father convinced me last minute, this morning," She replied and Gerry gave her a weak smile.

"I'm glad," He said, "It wouldn't make sense for you not to come."

"Where's your mom?" Fitz asked, eager to get the day over with.

"She's coming," Karen said, "She was still getting ready."

"Oh my God," Olivia said as she saw Mellie walking out of the house out the back windshield.

She was wearing an extravagant, yet Jackie Kennedy style outfit, complete with pill box black hat and black veil. She had a practiced, and rehearsed for what must have been hours look of sadness and instability to her. Like she was going to cry, but underneath it all – she was Mellie, pounds of make-up and all.

"What did you expect?" Fitz whispered back as he squeezed her hand, "The press release also said that he passed in her arms, who do you think made that happen? She wouldn't even allow him in the room with her."

Olivia took a deep breath, and Mellie climbed into the back of the limousine. She didn't look the least bit surprised with Olivia's presence.

"Ok, kids," She took a deep breath – her mask gone from her face for the car ride to the church, apparently, "Auntie Liv is a close family friend that has been helping with you two once we get to the church, that's all, ok?"

"Ok, mom," Karen said, and her and Gerry went off into the oblivion of their ipods.

"That works fine," Olivia went with it as Mellie looked to her to object, and Fitz just didn't say anything at all.

"What's in it for you?" Fitz asked plainly, curious as to why she would do this.

"So when you two are outed," Mellie replied, "I get to be the woman who allowed my ex-husband's mistress at our child's funeral without a huge fuss and taking the attention away from the child."

"Sadly, I'm not surprised," Fitz let out a hallow chuckle.

"So the plan's set then?" She said, sickeningly.

"Fine," Fitz sighed, setting a hand firmly on Olivia's knee.

When they got to the church, they met up with Cyrus and James. Olivia resolved to sit with them, just behind Fitz, right there if he needed to her, but not too obvious or seemingly disrespectful. Mellie went right over to the camera and put on her best acting face to tell them some speech about wanting to raise funds for premature children.

"Typical," Fitz rolled his eyes as he muttered under his breath.

"Calm down, Mr. President," Cyrus offered as Olivia and James took Gerry and Karen's hands.

"We're going to take the kids inside," James said, exchanging looks with Olivia.

The last thing these kids needed was to watch their parents fighting, again, over their brother's tiny body. Fitz seemed to read Olivia's mind on that, and followed them into the church, leaving Mellie to her own devices. Fitz took the children from Olivia and James, and sat with them in the front row, Olivia was sure to sit behind him.

"Miss Pope," A very Nancy Reagan-esque woman said as she came into the aisle.

"Mrs. Grant," Olivia rose to meet her and she waved her to sit down.

"Amelia, and don't bother with that," She replied, "My son's told me all about you."

"Olivia then," She liked her already.

"Mom," Fitz stood up, and hugged her over the pew.

"Hey sweetie," She said, patting him on the shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Sweetheart."

"Dad," Fitz acknowledged the man standing next to her.

"Sorry to hear about your boy, son," said a flat well-rehearsed monotone.

"Daddy," Karen spoke up, her hand around Gerry's, "Can we sit with Auntie Liv and Gram?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Mellie hissed and Amelia narrowed her gaze at her.

"Of course, child," Amelia said, "You come sit right between us."

Karen excused herself out of the row on her father's side, and came and sat with them. Gerry, on the other hand, stayed where he was – begrudgingly. His mother's glare on him kept him where he was, and Fitz, understandingly wrapped his arm around his son.

"Mrs. Grant," Mellie was mortified, and she simply looked back blankly at her.

"We're burying her brother today," Amelia reminded Mellie, "This isn't for Political gain, not everything has to be. This isn't for anything but closure. And if the child wants to sit with me and Olivia, I don't see why it should matter. It's not as if Fitz is asking to sit back here, though I'm sure he would if he didn't know it was too much."

She managed to shut Mellie up, and then turned to Karen.

"How are you, honey?"

"I'm ok," Karen said, "Auntie Liv's been making sure Gerry and I are taken care of."

"Why thank you, Liv, is that the preferred name?"

"I guess," Olivia replied and she nodded curtly.

"Now there isn't much time for talking now, but the way my son talks about you I know I'll have plenty of time to get to know each other."

A/N: Hey guys :) thanks for the love in the form of reviews. The Title's a song by Eric Clapton. I'm skipping ahead a little bit, but I have confidence you'll get it eventually. Long chapter (sorry), wanted to get it all out in this chapter so it's not eight chapters of dead baby, that would get tiresome. How do you guys like Amelia? I'm trying to decide how big of a part she should play moving forward….


	9. Can't Help Falling in Love

A/N: Hey guys… so I'm in need of a mood cheerer, how about you guys? The title's a song by pretty much everyone… but I like the Andre Bocelli version, personally. Anyways… here we go with something we haven't had much of yet… yay fluff!

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Nine: Can't Help Falling in Love

It took everyone a couple of days to get back into the swing of things once they got back to Washington. Mellie was officially gone from the White House, and had taken her Secret Service agent with her to Aspen. The kids were staying with Fitz in the White House, continuing school until the summer, visiting Mellie every other weekend, and then going with her for the summer, visiting Fitz every other weekend. Holidays had some other sort of arrangement, Olivia wasn't fully sure what the protocol was for those.

Fitz was doing a little bit better, but he was still convinced that he should give up the presidency, and Olivia was still adamant that he hold onto it for at least a little bit longer. He was doing better, being back at work, and she was worried what would happen when he did give it up. Of course, a President's job was never done. As far as Presidents went, he was beloved – Presidents and governors would be asking for favors for years. He would have plenty to do.

Olivia was standing in the middle of the conference room at work. The team had, under Abby and Harrison's leadership, taken on a case that was proving a bit tricky. At first it had seemed so open and shut, but apparently senator Fields had way more skeletons in his closet than anyone had previously thought. She took a deep breath, and her cell phone started to ring.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey," It was Fitz's casually sexy voice that replied, "I miss you, how's work?"

"Perplexing," She replied, "You?"

"Liberating," He replied, "I'm working on my resignation speech."

"When're you giving it?" Olivia asked, casually.

"Tomorrow night," He replied, "Sally's already been informally informed, and I'm announcing that I'll be done in a month. Help Sally take over the reins, let her in one some of the finer details."

"Oh," Olivia was surprised.

"But that's not really why I called," He replied, "The kids were wondering if you'd come to dinner tonight."

"The kids were wondering?" Olivia asked, "You're using the kids to get me to go over there now?"

"They just got back from school," He replied, "They come in and say 'hi' now to let me know they're home. I could get Karen to ask, if you think I'm lying."

"No, it's fine," She replied, "I thought I wasn't going to go over there til you had resigned?"

"What's it matter?" He replied, "I'm resigning tomorrow."

"Ok, what time should I be there?"

"Six," He said, "The kids have school tomorrow so we're dining early so they can hang around with you after – but, I do have a request coming from me."

"And what is that?"

"Spend the night?" He asked, rather bluntly and Olivia smiled.

"You know I can't," She said, even though she wanted to, "I shouldn't the press will see me leave in the morning and…"

"Or they'll see you leave slightly afternoon, which would make sense if you're helping me with my resignation speech," He retorted, "They just can't see you come in."

"I'm not sleeping over," She replied, more convincing herself than him as she saw Abby and Harrison coming in, "I have to go."

"I love you."

"Love you too," She hung up.

Abby and Harrison exchanged looks.

"You guys don't get to ask yet," She told them and they nodded.

Later when Olivia was getting ready to leave work, wishing that she could have closed the case before she had to leave. She knew she would turn the heads of everyone in the office leaving this early. She never got out of there before seven. She took a deep breath, putting on her coat and then made a b-line to the door. She had tried to send everyone home early too, but only Abby and Quinn had taken her up on it. Harrison and Huck were still in their offices.

"Where're you going?" Huck asked as she headed for the door.

"Liv's got a date," Harrison called from his office.

"With who?"

"She won't tell us," Harrison called again.

"Do you want me to run a background check on the guy?" Huck looked hurt that she hadn't asked him to.

"No, Huck, it's not necessary."

She left the office without another word to either of them. It only took her ten minutes to get to the White House, but this time she parked around the corner and out of the main way, choosing to walk the rest of the way – just in case. She exchanged a quick greeting with the man at the watch station, ignoring his 'It's about time you were here' and walking right in. Tom was standing by the front door waiting for her, and led her right up to the residence no questions asked, but with a smile on his face.

"You seem happy, Tom," She inquired, and he just grinned.

"They just announced who's staying with the President once he's out," He said.

"Don't they usually leave that for the older agents who will retire later," She asked, "Or new ones they're training up?"

"Older ones usually," He replied, "But seeing the way he's going out and the war – I've got him 'til the war's over. Hal and another guy have the kids. They're trying to figure out whether or not to assign you one."

"I don't want one," Olivia was astonished, "I don't need one-"

"Enjoy your dinner," Tom said, smirking.

"That's what you were really smiling about," She realized, her voice high and he chuckled as he went to his post outside the door.

"I thought I heard you," Fitz walked out of the door, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Hey," She smiled and he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I love you so much," He smiled happily as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"We're still in the hallway," She reminded him and he nodded.

"C'mon, then," He said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked, somewhat concerned for his well-being.

"Nothing," He replied, as they crossed into the kitchen and he poured two glasses of wine, handing her one.

"You just seem really – chipper," She said, choosing the last word very carefully.

"I'm just happy that I finally get to have you here," He leaned against the counter beside her.

"Where're the kids?" She asked and he shrugged innocently, "Fitzgerald Thomas Grant."

"They might be having a sleepover with James," He smiled, trying to get himself out of trouble, "But honestly it's for a good cause. I told them to go wild because James wants a kid – a kid, ok? Can you imagine Cy as a dad?"

"Good cause as it may be," She said, showing anger that wasn't quite actually there, "I can't believe you lied to get me here all to yourself."

"You really think I was going to share you the first night?" He said and she narrowed her gaze at him, "The first time I'm cooking for you?"

"You're cooking for me?" She was surprised.

"Chicken Parm, your favorite," He replied, his voice vibrating perfectly through his throat.

"You didn't have to lie to get me here," She replied and he raised his eye brows at her.

"You said you didn't want to come over before I officially resigned," He argued lightly, "But I knew if it was at least in part for the kids, you might allow yourself to come over, am I wrong?"

"No," She replied and he smiled, leaning in and kissing her temple.

"Exactly," He replied, pulling away and she smiled, "Now go sit down, and dinner will be ready in a minute."

"I have to go sit down? I can't be in here with you?"

"Now why would you want that?" He teased her as she brought her hand up and ran her hand through his hair.

"Well you're a lot more fun to look at," She flirted and he smiled.

"Oh I am?" He said as he put his back to her, stirring some sort of pasta.

"Very," She replied.

"Is this the point when I'm supposed to comment on how beautiful you are?" He replied, turning back around, looking her up and down, "Because I think it's pretty futile to even try. You already know exactly what you do to me."

Olivia was about to reply, when the oven went off. He went to rescue the chicken before it burned, and she took a sip of wine, though she knew she shouldn't. She was going to need every ounce of her inhibitions to make sure that she left there that night, instead of in the morning. Because, as of right then, all she wanted to was rip off his clothes and take –

"Looks like it's ready," He said, cutting off her thought as he pulled out two plates, "Will you sit at the table now? Let me serve you?"

"Fine," Olivia replied as she turned and walked to the table, wine in hand.

This was the first time she had even given thought to even look at the table. She had seen it plenty of times, a normal kitchen table, only tonight he had fixed it up. There was a white table cloth covering it, and there were only two chairs instead of the usual four. There was a dozen red roses lying in front of one of the seats, which she presumed was her seat and a single candle stick in the middle.

"Those are for you," He said as he walked by her with their food, setting them at their places, then going back for a lighter and his glass of wine.

"This is great," She said, setting them to the side as he returned, lighting the candle, and taking his seat across from her.

"Much better just the two of us?" He checked and she smiled weakly, "I mean, tonight anyways."

"As long as Cyrus doesn't murder you in the morning," Olivia replied and Fitz chuckled.

"Hopefully he'll be thanking me because James will have rethought children."

"This is delicious," Olivia said, swallowing her first bite, and he smiled, "Where'd you learn to cook?"

"You really think my mother let me grow up not knowing how to cook?" He replied, "Oh, by the way she and dad are coming to visit this weekend, she wanted to know if she could kidnap you and Karen to do some shopping. Then cook for us, whichever day you're free."

"Dinner with your parents and the kids?" She smiled at the novelty of it, "But if we take Karen, that leaves you with your father."

"Gerry's got a soccer game on Saturday," Fitz prompted hopefully, "Dad'll be proud of his star athlete grandson. Try and start to get him wanting to get into politics."

"I'll make sure I'm free Saturday then," She replied and he smiled.

"I'll let her know," He said and Olivia smiled.

"We're really doing this?"

"We're really doing this."

After they had finished eating, Olivia helped him clean up – much to his dismay. They put the leftovers away for his lunch the next day. He kept trying to get her to stop, but she refused. He loaded up the dishwasher, and she disassembled the table.

"Ok, I'm done," He said, shutting the dishwasher with the dishes, "And so are you."

"Just about," She said, walking over with the candle stick.

"No, you're done," He replied as she set the candle stick next to him on the counter, wrapping his arms around her, "I refuse to let you disassemble the table."

"That's a weird version of reverse feminism," She teased and he leaned in and kissed her.

"Come with me," He breathed, taking her hand and leading her into the living room.

The lights were dimmed, and the fire place was doing. He let go of her hand to go put another log on it, and she took a seat on the couch. He rolled up his shirt sleeves, and very carefully placed a few more pieces of wood onto the fire so that it was going nicely again, it was nearly the only light in the room. He brushed off his hands and then walked, slowly back to her, sitting down beside her. She curled up to his side, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"Tom said something about me having an Agent," Olivia blurted out and he sighed.

"It's at my request," He replied, "So you're not going to get any help from me."

"Why would you want someone to stalk me like that?"

"I knew you'd hate the idea," He admitted, "But once people know who you are, you're going to need one. And please, Olivia. If you get hurt because of who I am or who I was..."

There was a long, but comfortable silence.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special," She said, more to herself than anything else, "The flowers, the dinner, the fire..."

"I've been planning this a long time," He replied, looking down at her lovingly, "And I know, it's not nearly enough – which is why I'm going to work, hard, to fix everything that I've done wrong. Which I've already started doing, but I want to reverse all the times I've failed you – which may not be possible, but I'm going to try."

"Fitz," She breathed.

"Including, and I'm sorry this has taken me so long," He paused before continuing, "But, Olivia Pope, I love you so much. I am happy with you – which is shocking to everyone around me. I want you, and only you. I was hoping that you were feeling the same. And was wondering if you were ready to drop all those guys you've apparently been running around with while you were waiting for me, to be with me, exclusively."

She tipped her head up and kissed him firmly.

"I am," She ran her fingers down his jawbone, "And, Fitz? Once I had met you, there was never anyone else, just you."

"I know."


	10. Days Like This

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Ten: Days like This

"Harrison," Olivia said, frustrated, as Hal escorted her through the White House Saturday morning, "I took the day off, the office is closed. The only reason you are there is to stand guard over all our open cases, and keep the status quo. You are only to call me if you absolutely think that I need to take a certain case. Then you are to call me, and ask me if we should."

"So, basically," He replied as she walked through the door to the residence, waving briefly to Fitz and his parents, who were sitting around in the living room she had just walked into, "I only call you if it's for the President."

"Sure," Olivia said, trying to keep the irony of the situation in her own head, at least while she was talking to Harrison, "If President Grant's administration calls you because they need me – you can call me. Otherwise, I'm taking the day off, and you are going to sit there and play video games or whatever it is you do, and make sure no one touches our files."

"I understand," Harrison replied, and Olivia smiled.

"Good," She replied, and hung up.

"Everything ok?" Fitz asked, still watching her amusedly.

"They don't seem to understand the concept of me taking the day off."

"That's because you've never taken one," Fitz pointed out, "And Harrison's going to hold that comment over your head once he finds out."

"By the time that time comes, I'll be ready to deal with all my employee's comments," She replied, then looked over to his parents, "I'm so sorry, that's so rude. Hi, Amelia – Senator Grant."

"It's no problem," Amelia smiled at her kindly as Fitz came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "You're a busy girl- Thanks for taking the time to come. Fitz was just telling us what you do for a living – sounds exhilarating."

"More like hectic," Olivia replied, and Amelia chuckled, "I'd been looking for an excuse to take a day, anyways."

"Well you're here now," Fitz said, kissing the top of her head, "And I'll try not to greatly upset anyone, or cause pandemonium so that you have to be called in."

"Sounds good," She said, and he smiled, "Where're the kids?"

"Karen's in her room, and Gerry's getting ready for his game."

"Oh, I wish we weren't missing Ger's game," Amelia said, and Olivia nodded.

"Oh I know," Olivia sympathized.

She and Fitz exchanged a look. She hadn't been to one of Gerry's games since the campaign, and they both knew exactly why she couldn't go today. They had, so far, flown under the press's radar, and the last thing either of them wanted was to become the center of attention. The assumption was that the press was assuming that she was the nanny, or simply helping out with the kids. The reason James hadn't already broken the story was half out of friendship, and half out of the fact that they promised him the one and only interview that they would give once the time came.

"Ah, Gerry'll have plenty of games," Fitz saved, "Karen only has one first school dance though."

"A school dance?" Olivia was surprised, usually Karen opted out of going to those.

"I hope you don't mind dress shopping, Liv," Fitz smiled, Olivia knew how badly it had been bugging him – Karen's complete indifference to Social gatherings.

"I don't at all," Olivia said and Amelia smiled.

"I already told her, first dance dress is on Gram, Prom dresses are on Daddy," Amelia smiled as the three of them migrated to the kitchen and Fitz put out cereal bowls for the kids.

"Karen! Gerry!" He called, "Neither of you are going anywhere unless you come eat breakfast!"

"I'm not hungry," Karen called back.

"I'll eat later, Dad!" Gerry called back, and Fitz looked a little disgruntled, then smirked.

"Don't know why this didn't occur to me," He almost whispered, then called, "Liv's here!"

There was a second's silence, then the sounds of them running down the hallway.

"Well at least you know they like her," Amelia was holding back a chuckle.

"Auntie Liv!" Karen said, both beaming as they came into the kitchen.

"Eat up," She said, giving them each hugs, "So you can get to your game, and we can go find you a dress."

"Ok," Gerry replied, and the two of them sat down and began to eat their cereal.

"It's not a race," Fitz reminded them as Fitz senior walked into the kitchen.

"Gramps you're coming to my game, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Kiddo," He replied.

The four of them watched the kids as they ate, and then shuffled them off. The Secret Service agents were divvied up at the door. Hal went with Amelia, Olivia, and Karen, while Fitz, Fitz senior, and Gerry took pretty much all of the security that didn't need to stay at the White House. Olivia, who wasn't a big fan of shopping, was just glad that they only had one guard, and a general goal for the day.

"So where do you want to look, Darling?" Amelia asked, as they hopped into Olivia's car – to avoid the limo.

"I don't care," She replied from the backseat with Hal, "Why don't we just go to the mall?"

"You ok with that, Hal?" Olivia checked, and he nodded.

"To this mall we go, then," Amelia said.

Olivia was certain that she hadn't been to a mall like the one they were headed to in her life, she couldn't help but think about how interesting it would be for Fitz to hear about. She pulled into a spot right by the entrance to the first shop that Karen wanted to look around in. Hal tried to blend in, and shadowed them as they looked through the racks and things. Surprisingly, it was taking her a long time to choose a dress.

"Auntie Liv," She said, in one of the last stores they had time for, "Try this one on?"

She was holding up a beautiful silver dress, something that Olivia would wear when she had to dress up.

"Fine," Olivia said as she picked up the dress she had been eyeing, but too afraid to pick up, "If you try on this one."

"Ok," she said, "Gram, you should try one on too."

"No, you girls go on ahead," She said, "I'll poke around the store a bit more and then meet you over by the dressing rooms."

"Ok," Olivia replied as she put her hand on Karen's shoulder and started to lead her off towards the dressing rooms.

"Auntie Liv," She said as they walked, "Does Dad ever do like – romantic things for you?"

Olivia had to stop herself from chuckling, it seemed like every time she turned around the man was doing something romantic. On the campaign trail, when they couldn't spend the night together, it was him delivering dinners when she was working late, flowers would mysteriously arrive on her desk, little presents showing up in her desk drawer. Then the nights they could be together, he pulled out all the stops, left no stone unturned. After she left him, he chased her, and chased her until he got her back into his life. After that it was the balls, the begging to leave Mellie, the phone calls, the hunting trip, the showing up at her apartment, the jealousy, the clause in his will, the other night…

"Sometimes," Olivia wasn't sure how much longer she wanted his conversation to last, but couldn't help asking, "Why?"

"Like what does he do?" Karen asked, and Olivia felt herself wishing that they had put the dressing rooms just a little bit closer to where they had been standing.

"Well, the other night he cooked dinner and got me roses," Olivia said, and Karen nodded as they reached the dressing room.

"Just one each?" The woman outside it said, and Olivia nodded.

"Yes, thank you," Olivia said, following Karen into the narrow hallway, "Why do you ask?"

"Because there's this boy at school," She replied, and with hindsight, Olivia could have expected it, "And he keeps leaving me flowers in my locker, and in my desk."

She didn't know what to do, she didn't even know whether to approve or disapprove of Karen's interest in boys at all. It wasn't something that Fitz and her had talked about. She knew he was worried about her socially, but she didn't know that he wanted his twelve year old daughter accepting flowers from boys. Was it even her place to be in this conversation at all, of course not – but there she was.

She had decided on a very simple role when it came to the kids, both Karen and Gerry. They called her Auntie Liv, she already had her role. Her role was a friend, someone they could go to, someone they could trust – they already had two parents. She wasn't going to be the 'oh your parents are divorced? Well now you have three parents to tell you what to do!' addition. She liked the role as she had it, and she didn't want anything else. They had Fitz to encourage their educations, their moral backbones, and to make sure they knew they were loved. And, they had Mellie to teach them the societal things, and work on their manners, and make sure that they knew – at least socially – what was acceptable and what was not.

But then again, there she was – It didn't matter if she was supposed to be upset with Karen's attitude toward boys – she had already gotten one. She wasn't enabling anything that they wouldn't have done unknowingly – but somehow she thought Fitz might see it differently when she told him. Maybe it was as innocent as Olivia hoped, maybe he would stand across from her across the room. It was an eighth grade function after all. Kids still did that, right? Boys on one wall, girls on the other?

"Oh, what's his name?" Olivia finally asked and Karen blushed.

"Corey," She said.

"Is he in your class?" Olivia tried to keep it surface based.

"Yeah," Karen blushed a shade darker.

"Does he have anything to do with you wanting to go to the dance on Friday?" Olivia asked, acting on a hunch.

"Maybe," Karen replied and Olivia nodded – happy that Karen had been eyeing a very modest dress.

"Well let's see how that dress looks, then," Olivia smiled as they ducked into their changing stalls.

Olivia managed to zip and tie herself into the silvery satin dress that Karen had picked out without having to ask for help. She looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn't argue that Karen had excellent taste. Maybe it was the Mellie no one thought was in her at last showing through. She walked out of her stall and out into the hall where Amelia and Hal were now waiting.

"Oh, Liv," Amelia said, "It's beautiful."

"Thanks," Olivia smiled as Amelia knocked on Karen's stall.

"Honey, do you need anything?"

"Um, I can't get the zipper up," She replied and Olivia chuckled.

"Don't worry, sweetie," She said, "They're always tricky. Hold it up and back up to the door, I'll zip it up for you."

"Ok," Karen called back, unlocking the door.

"Oh, Karen," Amelia said as she turned around, walking out of her stall.

"Oh, you look so pretty," Olivia smiled, perfect – she looked like a little angel.

"Look at you," Karen said, and Olivia smiled.

"Looks like two purchases to me," Amelia said, "You girls change back, and we'll go get a snack at the food court before we head back."

Olivia blinked at her use of the term 'food court' and then regrouped.

"Oh, I can get mine, Amelia," Olivia said and Amelia shook her head as Karen disappeared back into her stall.

"Hush," Amelia said, then whispered, "It's not very often that I can get my boy a little present without bending his arm to find out what he wants – I already know what he wants. Go change."

By the time they got back to the residence, Karen was still finishing off her frozen yogurt, and Amelia was just about ready to cook whatever she saw next. They walked in, Olivia carrying the bag with Karen's dress in it, her's was still in the car.

"What'd you get?" Fitz asked Karen and Olivia unzipped the dress bag.

"That's really pretty, Kare," Fitz said, taking her into his bear hug, "My little Karen."

"Dad," Karen ducked out of his arms.

"That's what they call a pre-teen, son," Amelia chuckled as Karen smiled.

"Of course," He replied.

"Liv, Liv," Gerry came running into the room – already showered and changed from his game, Senator Grant following him slower, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I scored the winning goal," He said and Olivia smiled at him as he bounced up and down.

"That's great," Olivia said.

"C'mon, Gerry," Karen said, taking her brother's hand, "Let's go play with your xbox."

"Just for a little while before dinner, ok?" Fitz called after them and then he turned his gaze to Liv.

"Wait, wait," Olivia stopped Karen, to hand her her dress, "Be very careful, and hang it up in your closet, ok?"

"Ok," Karen replied and Gerry followed her off down the hall.

"You kids go have a minute before dinner," Amelia said, "Fitzgerald, come help me with dinner."

"C'mon," Fitz said, taking her hand and leading her off into the living room, shutting the door behind them.

"Fitz," She said, surprised at his boldness.

"No," He replied, "She just called him Fitzgerald, he's in trouble – for something."

"Oh," Olivia replied, and Fitz nodded, walking forward and putting his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him.

"So how was your day?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Ok, your mom's great," She said, and he smiled, "She bought me a dress, it's apparently a present for you – Did I mention I love her?"

"Do me a favor," He replied, kissing her softly, "When you eventually wear it, don't mention it's the one she bought you?"

"Deal," She said and he smiled as he lead her over to the couch, sitting down with her in his lap, "How was the game?"

"An hour of standing next to my father," He replied dully, "Listening to how much he went through for me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," She said, leaning up and kissing his forehead.

"If reporters weren't hiding in the bushes, I would have probably yelled at him," He said calmly, "As it was we had a shouting match once Gerry was in the shower."

"That bad?"

"I don't want to think about it," Fitz replied, and Olivia pursed her lips, "And I told Gerry to just call you Liv, they both will be by the end of the night – what?"

"I found out why Karen wants to go to the dance."

"What?"

"There's a boy. His name's Corey, apparently he's in her class," Olivia said, "He's been leaving flowers in her locker, and in her desk – sound familiar."

"Oh that's the last thing I need," He replied, "My twelve year old finding a little snot nosed Casanova."

"They're twelve, Fitz," Olivia replied, "No one looks back at eighth grade dances and remembers anything but standing against the opposite wall."

"I'll run a background check on him."

"He's twelve."

"Or so they think," He replied, and Olivia laughed at him.

"You can't tell her you know."

"Why not?"

"Because, Fitz," Olivia said, "These kids already have two parents to keep them in line and out of trouble. I'm Liv, I'm safe, I'm not their mom, and they can come to me with stuff. They need to be able to trust me, and this seems innocent enough."

"Fine," He replied, "I'm still running a background check."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," She said, leaning up and kissing him softly as her phone went off, "Hello?"

"Liv?" It was Harrison.

"Hi," She said, and broke free of a protesting Fitz to go into another room – away from everyone, "What's going on, I thought I told you not to call me unless it was the President."

"You did," He replied, "But something came up, it's not exactly El Jefe, but-"

A/N: Hey everyone! How depressing is it that we're going to have to wait another week and a halfish til the next episode?! Grrr anyways that song's by Van Morrison. Hope you all enjoyed. So what do you think Harrison's come across? Any ideas? I'm curious what you guys think it is/should be…


	11. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

A/N: So the song's by The Offspring… and I'd like to say now that the fluffiness of the last two chapters is done, and will be over for a little while now… enjoy

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Eleven: You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

"Harrison, why're you calling me?" She replied, "If it's not the President-"

"Well it's not him directly."

"You have seven seconds," She said, "Talk fast."

"It's the ex-first Lady. Apparently, that whole bout of early labor – it wasn't an accident, and there's someone starting to snoop around it."

"Excuse me?" Olivia replied, her attention caught.

"She called today, she thought she covered it enough," He replied, "But she caused the early labor herself, trying to get herself a miscarriage."

"Ok," She swallowed, _shit_, "You tell her that I will call her tonight, late."

"You ok?" Harrison asked, noticing that her voice broke a little bit, "You're friends with these people, aren't you?"

"I just found out—damn it, Harrison," She said, running her hands down her face, as Gerry ran by her, Karen chasing after him, "I have to go. You tell no one about this, not even the rest of the team."

"Liv," He said, "She said she needed to talk to you, immediately."

"Tell her I'm busy, Harrison," Olivia replied, angry now, "She will understand."

Olivia slammed her phone shut, which caught Karen and Gerry's attention, along with Fitz's as he came around the corner. All the attention in the little room was focused in on her, and she breathed heavily, though tried to mask it.

"Everything ok, Liv?" Fitz asked and she took a deep breath and looked right into his eyes.

"No," She lied, and he knew she was lying, and she knew he knew, "I'm going to go see if your mom needs help in the kitchen."

She walked in and Amelia took one look at her, realizing just by looking at her face that something was terribly wrong. Olivia didn't give her much credit for figuring that one out, she was sure that she looked like she was going to explode, or cry, or scream, or something. Amelia handed her a peeler and turned to the Fitz Sr.

"Go play with your grandkids or something," She told him, and he nodded as he left the room, "Here."

"Thanks," Olivia replied as Amelia handed her a bag of carrots.

"And I want them in tiny pieces so feel free to go crazy," She replied and Olivia forced a smile.

They worked in silence for a while, which was just how Olivia preferred it, she needed to process. She could storm out, she had to act as if nothing was wrong. She kept envisioning Mellie's sour face etched onto the side of the carrot as she quite forcefully ran the blade across it.

Her stomach was in knots, her heart in her bladder, and her mind was racing at a mile a minute. Every image that they had shown on the news of Max, Max and Fitz, Max and his siblings who were now sitting in the other room coloring. She tried to block out their voices, but she could hear Karen asking if they could visit Max and put a teddy bear on his stone when they went to Burbank later in the week.

How could Mellie possibly be this selfish? How could she be so evil? So cruel? She had sacrificed an innocent child in the name of trying to be the 'wronged wife'. Poor Mellie, her husband announced to the country that he was bored with her, that he was in love with someone else. She killed that sweet little boy just to further her political standings, to make herself more important. He was expendable to her, Fitz's baby – all those months that Olivia had spent envying her for carrying his child – and she just threw that poor baby away. All that pain that was incased in Max's short little life.

Then she could see Fitz, how much more destroyed he would be if he knew what Mellie had done. He loved that little boy just as much as his other two kids, maybe more. It was awful, but that was what happened when a child died. All his dreams and hopes for him had been dashed, destroyed – and now this. Her brain kept swirling with images, Fitz the night that she had gotten there. She looked over at him, sitting in the living room, with Karen and Gerry, and how much better he was doing.

There she was in the kitchen, knowing the exact thing that would be his undoing. She wanted to kill Mellie. She wanted to scream, she wanted this not to have happened. She wanted Mellie to have a soul, and realize that what she was doing had consequences. And she wasn't sure how she could punish Mellie without having to punish Fitz too. The way she saw it, she had two options – neither were very good. She could tell Fitz, and leave Mellie on her own, or she could help Mellie and hide it from him – there was no reason for him to know, Max was gone, nothing could bring him back. Anything else would just cause him more pain.

"Liv, darling," Amelia grabbed her hand, "You're going to catch your finger."

"What?" Olivia came out of her trance, looking down and realizing the amount of carrot in her hand.

"I think that's enough," she said, taking the peeler from her.

"Yeah," Olivia said, "You need anything else?"

Despite speaking somewhat coherently, Olivia was still off on her Mellie bubble. She looked off into the other room where Fitz was pulling out a game, Apples to Apples, to play with his father, Karen and Gerry. She watched the smile cross his face as Gerry pretended to hoard all the cards. He very carefully wrestled them out of his son's hands, and started dealing them out. She smiled softly, her anger starting to disappear to be replaced with an overwhelming sense of doom. She picked either choice and she lost Fitz, her Fitz, that Fitz that was sitting in the other room laughing and smiling with his children. Either way, she would be the love of his life that told him his ex killed his child, or she would be the love of his life that kept it from him.

"You love him so much," Amelia observed, and Olivia would have blushed – if her mind wasn't still going so fast.

"What?"

"You love him," Amelia said, realizing that she could somewhat pull Olivia out of whatever she was thinking about, "And not only do you love him, more than anything in the world, you love him so much that you love my grandkids like they're your own."

"What about you and the senator?" Olivia replied, "You've been together fifty-two years."

"I was young," Amelia replied, "It was never a doubt to anyone that I would marry Fitzgerald. It wasn't a choice, it was a life, the one I was born into. Eventually, I learned to love him, and poured everything I had into Fitz, his brother, and his sister. It was a life. That's why I never liked the way that Mellie and him were forced together – by their fathers more than themselves, just like Fitzgerald and I. They say that arranged marriages don't happen anymore in America, but they don't get the inside track on families like ours. I was so glad when he called to warn me about what he was going to leave her, that he was done, that he'd found someone that made him happy. That's all I've ever wanted for my kids, for them to be happy."

Olivia took a deep breath.

"Happy?" She replied and Amelia nodded.

"Nothing they achieve means anything if they're not happy," She replied, "I'm just happy that – excuse my language – Bitch Mellie and her reign of terror on my son's life is over."

Olivia nodded, she agreed – if only it were true.

"Liv," Fitz had abandoned the game that hadn't and wouldn't start, as Gerry and Karen had decided to build a card house instead, "You ok? You wanna talk? We can go for a walk or something."

"Fitzy!" Amelia said, pulling the mashed potatoes of the stove, "Be a good man, and mash these for your mother?"

"Of course," He replied, walking over and taking the pot from her.

"Liv," Gerry and Karen came into the room, followed closely by the Fitzgerald Sr.

"What is it?" Olivia asked them, putting on a happy face – realizing that was the only way she was going to get out of that night alive.

"We want to show you our house of cards," Gerry said, and Olivia let him take her by the hand.

"Dinner'll be ready in two minutes," Amelia announced, "Fitzgerald, set the table."

They sat down to dinner within a few minutes, and Gerry and Karen were talking animatedly about school, and things that they were planning with their friends for the week. This suited Olivia, because she could seem like she was being interactive while slowly slipping back into her Mellie fueled hurricane. Fitz kept looking over at her, and she knew that she wasn't going to get out of here without a deep, 'what's wrong' discussion.

She looked across the table at him, how perfect he was, and knew that she could never tell him. She had to bury this into the deepest center of hell where it belonged, never to be brought up again. She would save him from this pain, there was no need for him to know. He was happy on average, finally, and he was dealing with his son's death well. He was moving on, it was showing through occasionally, but for the most part he was doing so much better. He had grieved, it was terrible – what happened as he knew it, but it happened. Babies were born too early, and they passed .That was something she knew he could wrap his head around and come to terms with. His ezwife purposefully causing his death – that was something different entirely.

"Well I see the elephant in the room, and I'm not going to be quiet about it anymore," Fitzgerald Sr said, as if it was an announcement, and all the heads perked up at the table.

"Dad," Fitz tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"We're really just going to let him give up the Presidency for this girl?"

"Kids, go to your rooms," Fitz said immediately, and they obeyed, scurrying off – sensing the immenant explosion.

"I should go," Olivia felt like she was going to be sick, this was all too much – she stood up.

"No, Livy," Fitz told her sternly – she fell back into her seat, "You're not going anywhere. Dad, I've already given my resignation, it's done. It's not up for debate."

"You're throwing away everything we've worked for since you were twelve years old. I dedicated my life so that you would end up where you are and you're throwing it away," Fitzgerald Sr. didn't back off, "All for what? To be 'happy'? To ride off into the sunset with this woman?"

"Fitzgerald," Amelia scolded.

"It's my life, dad," Fitz replied, "And you've run it since the day I was born. Prepping me, since I was six years old for this job. This job, that I didn't even want. You arranged for a marriage to a serpent of a woman that you knew would only propel me into this house. I got here, Dad. I did everything you couldn't and I want out. I want something else you could never have – a life. A family, instead of this viper pit that you call your family."

"I've never-" His father started, but Fitz cut him off.

"And I will not sit here and let you talk the way you are about the woman that I love," He said, "Get out."

"Fine," Fitzgerald Sr. threw his napkin down on the table and stormed out of the residence.

"Liv, dear it was wonderful to get to spend time with you today," Amelia smiled at Olivia, "I'll call you tomorrow morning about a lunch date sometime this week. Fitzy, you tell my beautiful grandchildren that I said goodbye and that I love them. I'll call them tomorrow after school. Good night."

"Mom, don't leave with him," Fitz tried to stop her.

"I have lived my life this way for fifty-two years, Fitzy," She said, standing up, "Remember to call your brother Wednesday for his birthday."

And with that, she left. Olivia got up and started putting everything away, even her fake appetite was gone and she couldn't imagine that he was still hungry either. She picked up the kids' plates and carried them down the hall and told the kids to eat it in their rooms, they could play xbox afterwards. And she reminded them to listen to their father when he came to tell them to go to bed.

She walked back out into the kitchen, and Fitz was just finishing cleaning up. He took a deep breath as he finished putting the mashed potatoes in the fridge, and took her hands. He tried to lead her off into the living room.

"I should really go," She caught a glance at the clock, it was getting late – and knew that she had a very long conversation to have with Mellie.

"Livy," He said it as if she had just put a dagger through his heart, "No one feels the way dad does. I love you, more than anything. And I want to know what happened that made you so upset."

"It was nothing," Olivia breathed, "But I have a little work to do before I get to go to bed – shopping took a lot out of me."

"Ok," He said, in recognition that nothing he could do or say could keep her there – and he was hurt about it too, "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"I'd like that," Olivia replied, smiling, and he gave her a weak one.

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss.

"I love you," He told her and she nodded.

"I know," She said, that's why she had to do it, "I love you too."

That's why she was going to protect him, by any means necessary from knowing what had happened. She took a deep breath, hating that she had to leave him. She wanted to bang her head against a wall, Mellie had figured out a way to keep all the strings, pulling them all along like marionettes. Making them dance at will, because it was still her show.


	12. In Too Deep

A/N: Hey guys :) Let's keep this ball rolling, shall we? The song's by Sum 41. Enjoy : )

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Twelve: In Too Deep

Olivia took a deep breath as she walked into her apartment. She set the dress Fitz's mother had gotten her, and hung it up in her closet. The last thing she wanted to do was call Mellie as she picked up her cell phone off of the bed, sitting down at she just sort of looked at it. She wanted to curl up in bed and just forget about the whole thing, but that wasn't her. She was the one that didn't just forget about things, she was the one to stop things, to take action.

"Liv," Mellie answered the phone as if greeting an old friend, "Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I just don't know what to do about this little issue."

"What?" Olivia had the distinct feeling that Mellie was misunderstanding her call, "I'm not going to help you, Mellie, if you don't drop your fake attitude. I can't believe you would do such a fucked up thing, it's low and terrible, even for you. The only reason I'm even entertaining the idea of helping you is Fitz."

"You're not telling him," Mellie's fake enthusiasm was gone.

"I haven't really decided yet," She replied truthfully, "But at the very least, this needs to stay away from the press. I don't want him to have to deal with this, particularly on that level."

"So you have decided," She pointed out and Olivia swallowed, she wasn't going to answer that.

"Do you have any idea who it is that could be sneaking around?" Olivia asked.

"Well if I knew that I wouldn't need you," She replied and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"There's not much I can do tonight," Olivia replied, "Go through anything that might make you seem guilty, and put it into the closet or something. Do not throw it away. Tie it up in a trash bag and meet me halfway. Fly to Chicago, we'll meet somewhere there at about nine AM. Until then, If anything comes up, deny it. Deny it until they have proof."

"I don't think they'll be able to find any," Mellie retorted, "I'm not a moron, Olivia. I just don't know what it would do to my political career if there ever was a rumor and anyone actually gave it credit."

"Of course," She said, "Do not call me again, I will call you once I land."

"Ok, you're the boss," Mellie replied, back to her sickeningly sweet tone.

"Try and get some rest."

Olivia hung up the phone, and then took a deep breath, collapsing backwards onto the bed. She was still in the clothes she had been in all day, she knew she had to change, but she didn't want too. She closed her eyes, she wasn't even sure that she had a bottle of wine in the house. She took a deep breath and thought, briefly, about running to the convenience store down the street. If any situation was a clear indication of the need for acohol, this was it. She was about to get up when her phone rang again.

"Hello?" She sighed into the phone, not having checked the caller ID.

"That bad, huh?" He replied, he sounded hurt.

"It's not you, Fitz," She replied.

"What it's not you, it's me?" He replied, "Please don't tell me that's where you're going with this."

"No, Fitz," She was surprised with him, "What's the matter with you? I got news that just…"

"What is it?" He asked, concerned.

"Work," She said.

"Right, work," He replied, "Well the good thing is, I'm almost done with my job."

Olivia tried to be happy about this, but she couldn't. Between what had happened with Mellie, and what his father had said – she wasn't as convinced that this was a good idea anymore. She, the woman who was going to take care of Mellie, did not deserve him. He was giving up everything for her, and what was he getting in return.

"I think your dad was right," Olivia replied, "We don't know, your presidency might have survived all that."

"But I wouldn't have survived my Presidency, Livy," He replied, "We talked about this, at great length. I've never felt better about something. Please, don't let my dad talk that nonsense into your head. There's no point to it."

"What're we going to do once you're out?" She asked, it had been killing her and he took a deep breath.

"Whatever you want," He said, he was playing dirty – simply the way he was talking was turning her on, "I can move in there, with you. I can buy a house nearby, I'll court you, if want. Or you can move in with me."

"You're going to buy a house?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," He replied, "If you want to avoid me moving into your apartment with you."

"You're going to court me?" She asked, trying to avoid thinking about what she would be doing the next day.

"If you don't want me to move in with me just yet," He paused for a second, then continued "I will throw pebbles at your window."

"That would be nice," She replied and he chuckled.

"Courting it is," She could almost see his smirk, "Be ready."

"You make courting sound dangerous," She responded, and he laughed.

"No, just be ready to be swept off your feet," He replied, cutely and she smiled.

"I look forward to it," She replied and he hummed, the vibrations through the phone sending goose bumps all over her skin.

"Damn, Livy," He said, "I wish you were here."

"Would you get really mad if I were to agree with you?"

"Considering the way you left here," He sighed, "Yes, but go ahead and wish it anyways."

"You're such an ass."

"Hey, I am a good boyfriend," He replied, then teased her, "You on the other hand, Livy."

"Well if that's really how you feel, I don't see why you're going through so much trouble to be with me."

"How I really feel?" He replied, "Livy, you're everything to me, which is more than a little difficult to admit sometimes. I love you so much that I literally could not stand being in the same room as you knowing that you weren't mine. So much that I couldn't breathe, thinking about you with anyone else who may have come along. Livy, I can't live without you, and I need you. I'm weak, something I'll never be used to. You're smart, and you don't care what anyone thinks of you. You're not afraid of everyone. You're actually much too good for me, which Cyrus always likes to through in my face – but it's ok, he's right. But I will do everything to make up for that gap."

Olivia felt sick. All of this discussion, him going on about how much he loved her – only made her want to die a little bit more. He deserved honesty, he deserved to not have her hiding this from him for the rest of their lives. She stopped herself. Fitz was in blissful ignorance, and wouldn't have a problem continuing with this – it was her. It was her that just wanted him to know, so that she didn't have to be the one holding it from him. She comforted herself knowing and reminding herself that it wasn't her secret to tell, but really she knew that was bullshit.

"Liv?"

"I don't feel well," She told him, and then there was silence.

"That wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear in return," He replied, trying to keep it light – but she knew she had disappointed him, that was twice in one night.

"Babe, I love you," She told him, "I'm just really not feeling well. I should go to bed."

"How do you feel about meeting up with me somewhere for lunch tomorrow?" He asked, "If you're not feeling well I'd love to hold you for a little while, at least – maybe make you some soup…"

"I have to go out of town tomorrow," She told him.

"When'll you be back?" He asked, and she sighed – honestly, she didn't know how long it would take.

"I'll try to be back sometime that night," She replied, "Why?"

"Want to try and meet me for dinner?" He asked, "We'll have dinner down in one of the other rooms – your pick. I'll have someone watch the kids…"

"Maybe, if I get back in time," She replied and he didn't really expect much more, "I'll call you once I'm back."

"Ok," He said, patiently, "Now is this a super top secret 'I'll have to kill you' cases? Or can I call you, tomorrow?"

"You can call me," She allowed – knowing that she might need the pick me up.

"I will then," He replied, taking a breath, "Sleep tight, sweet baby. And, Livy?"

"Everything's going to be ok," He assured her.

His assurances were echoing in her head as she got off of her plane in Aspen. She had left much earlier so that she could get back. Today was going to be a very long day, but if she somehow managed to, at the end of the day, be wrapped up in Fitz's arms on a couch, or by a fire, or anything – it might be worth it. Her stomach was still sick with what she was doing. She still couldn't make heads or tails of whether or not, when, or how Fitz would be told about what was going on. The selfish part of her still wanted him to know, so that it wasn't on her. At least she hoped that made sense.

She landed in Chicago, and within a few moments got a call from Mellie to meet her at a bar down the street from the airport.

"Olivia," Mellie was sitting at a table in the corner, "Thank God you're here."

"We're making this quick," Olivia said, "Where's all the evidence?"

"There," Mellie pointed her purse, pulling out a small grocery bag tied up like a trash bag, "Ok, I'll dispose of it. Did anyone contact you?"

"Just the note," Mellie gestured over towards the table, "It's how I knew that someone was snooping around."

"Any you don't know who could have possibly sent you this?" Olivia asked, "It's a pretty serious accusation, not one that anyone would take bringing up lightly. They're most likely someone who already knows the truth, or someone who knows you well."

She hoped that didn't sound too harsh.

"Well then it's someone you know," She replied, "I doubt it's Fitz – he's so hopeless. So Cyrus, oh, he'd just love this. Or someone in that sphere of people."

"What about the maid in Burbank or someone that might have seen you?" Olivia asked.

"There was no maid in Burbank," Mellie replied, "It was only me, how could I justify it?"

"I need some sort of a lead," Olivia replied, and Mellie just shrugged, "Fine. I need the guestbook for the funeral."

"What? Why?"

"Because, whoever it is that knows, was probably there," Olivia said, "So I need a list of the people that were there, so I can have background checks run on each of them. Thank God it was a small service."

"Why would anyone there—"

Mellie was cut off by Olivia's phone going off. She glanced over at the clock, ten, on the dot. She held up her hand to keep Mellie silent, then walked a little ways away to answer her phone.

"Hey," She said, trying to figure out how best to make the phone call quick.

"Hey, are you feeling any better?" He asked.

"A little bit," She replied, "How about you?"

"I'm a little better today, as long as you think you'll be back for our date tonight," He replied.

"Tonight is not a date," She said, wandering farther away from Mellie – hoping she was out of earshot.

"Oh, it is," He said, "You're not going to break it, right?"

"No, I'll be there," She replied.

"We eat at eight?" He asked as she quickly did math in her head.

"I'll be back way before then," Olivia replied, "We can do seven if you want."

"Sure," He replied.

"But I'm meeting with a client—"

"Say no more," He said, "I love you, Livy."

"I love you too," She replied, then hung up as she headed back to the table.

"He still calls you a lot?" Mellie asked, and Olivia nodded, "That's sweet, poor hopeless Fitz. You still haven't told him, have you?"

"No," Olivia said, then felt her blood boil with the look of satisfaction of on Mellie's face, "You know what, here's the deal, Mellie. You're going to call him. You're going to call him, and tell him what you did – and how you asked me to cover it up for you. You're going to do that, or I'm not going to help you. You tell him the truth, no lying, no twisting. Just exactly what you did, and how you called me to help."

"And if I don't?" Mellie replied.

"Then I drop your case," Olivia replied, and Mellie looked as if she had slapped her, "It's something that's your responsibility to tell him."

"Then you'll help me?"

"Then I'll help him," Olivia said, sticking the evidence into her purse, "I'll help you if he thinks it's for the best, which I think he will because I doubt he wants this anywhere near the news. If not only for his sake, but for Karen and Gerry."

"You're sure?" Mellie replied, lips pursed and Olivia nodded.

"Hand over the puppet strings, Mellie," She said, "You've lost, maybe we can run some damage control."


	13. Beware of Darkness

A/n: Hey guys… thanks for the lovely reviews… The Song's by George Harrison. Enjoy : )

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Thirteen: Beware of Darkness

Fitz set his wine glass down in the residence, the kids both had a friend over, and they were somewhere off in the other direction. Judging by the sound levels, the boys were attempting to terrorize the girls. He wondered vaguely how long it would be until the girls came running in seeking asylum. He chuckled, smiling as he turned the page in his book. He looked around at the living room, content. He wished that Max was there, he always did, but what could he do? Babies got sick, it happened.

He manually shifted his thoughts to Liv, and how strangely she had been acting. He was worried about her, he wanted her to not have to worry about anything – which was unrealistic, but it was what he wanted. He wanted to be able to give her the fairytale ending, which was stupid, and dumb, and childish – but it's what he wanted to do, for his Livy.

"Daddy!" Karen called as she and her friend came running down the hall into the room, "Tell Gerry and Gabriel to leave Lindsey and I alone."

"Boys," Fitz looked up from his book and looked over as the two boys walked into the room, "Girls. Can't you all play a game together?"

"Will you play with us?" Lindsey requested, and Fitz checked his watch, it was only five.

"Sure," He said, setting his book on the coffee table, "What do you guys want to play?"

"Why don't we watch a movie?" Karen said, and Fitz nodded – that would be cutting it pretty close – but a cartoon would work, "Something short, ok?"

"Ok," He said, as Gerry went over and turned on the TV.

All four kids surrounded the movie cabinet to try and decide on what to watch. Fitz was about to put away his wine glass and his book when he noticed what was playing on the news. They kept flashing a dark picture, and it took him a minute until he realized that it was Olivia, the night before, leaving the White House. The news people were yammering on about how his parents had been over that day too.

"Damn it," He said under his breath as they flipped to a picture of him standing with her outside Max's funeral.

His phone rang, he looked at the caller ID, and saw it was Cyrus, probably watching the same thing.

"Kids, go find Hal," He said, shutting the TV off, "Go with him to take your friends home. I'm sorry, Lindsey and Gabe – but we're going to have to head home a little early."

"Aw, Daddy," Karen was displeased, and he nodded.

"Sorry, kids," He said as Cyrus burst through the door.

"Mr. President," He said, he looked like he was ready to pop, Hal and Tom coming just after him.

"Hal, take the kids' friends home, they'll go with you to drop them off," Fitz said, and Hal nodded as the kids all filed after him.

"Mr. President, this is a nightmare," Cyrus said, and Fitz nodded, picking up his cell phone to call Liv, "She's probably on her plane."

"She's going to kill me," Fitz replied, as he turned the TV back on.

"No, I don't think she'd be capable of that," Cyrus said, "But yes, she will probably be quite angry – not that that matters."

"Why, why doesn't it matter?" Fitz asked, his phone still in his hand, "Liv is going to get off the plane and find that."

He pointed to the TV screen, where it was showing just outside the Baltimore airport. Fitz looked to Cyrus, who was still relatively stone faced.

"You're a stone, Cy – and usually that's a good thing," Fitz told him, "But you can't even try to tell me that you don't give a damn about Liv. They are going to tear her apart as soon as she walks out of that airport."

"What're we gonna do?" Cyrus asked.

"Figure out what plane she's on, and when it's landing," Fitz told him, "And call someone to watch the kids. Send out the secret service to clear the area at the airport. I'm going to meet her."

"You're going to meet her plane?" Cyrus replied, "And where would you like them to shoot you this time?"

"Enough, Cyrus," He said, anger boiling, "What does it matter anyways?! Just go."

"Yes, Mr. President," Cy replied, and backed out of the room.

Fitz kicked the coffee table, when his cell phone rang again. He looked down at the caller ID, and it was Mellie. He sighed as he brought the phone to his ear.

"What is it, Mellie?" He asked, his patients running lower than he ever allowed, "I'm not really in the mood to deal with you now. Is it something about the kids?"

"It's all my fault," Was Mellie's only response.

"Mellie, I don't have time for this," He replied, rolling his eyes.

"You do, because I have to tell you," She replied, "I can't believe I'm giving in to this-"

All the semblance of sadness and worry from her voice.

"What is it?"

"I did it, Fitz," She confessed it like it was nothing, "I was tried to make myself go into labor early, I didn't think he would even make it out. I thought it would make people feel even worse for me, give me a leg up when I go to run for Senator."

"Why're you telling me this?" He knew Mellie – it wasn't like her to just go and confess something like that.

"I called Liv yesterday," She said, "Someone's figured it out and it poking around."

"She would never help you, not with this," He said and Mellie sighed, "You stay the fuck away from her."

"She agreed too," Mellie said, "She flew to Chicago today, to meet me halfway from Aspen. Only it seems she started to talk herself out of lying to you about it – she wanted me to tell you, threatened not to help me."

"I don't have time for this, Mellie," Fitz was tired of her games, he didn't want to listen.

"Mr. President," Cyrus said as he walked into the room.

"I have to go."

He hung up without a second's thought. He did not want to process that right now, right in that moment his only concern was to get to Olivia before she got to the press.

"Her flight from Chicago lands in about fifteen minutes," Cyrus informed him as he grabbed his coat, and a pair of scissors from the kitchen, "The secret service is already there – and James is going through security with the kids."

"Good, tell him that they need to be in bed by ten," He replied.

"Mr. President, what's your plan here?" Cy asked as they walked quickly through the house, and out towards the rose garden.

"I'm the doting boyfriend," He said, "I worship the ground she walks on."

"I already knew that, Mr. President," Cy said sarcastically as Fitz cut a single rose, which was when Tom and Hal appeared.

"Well if we act as if I was going to meet her plane anyways, then we weren't hiding anything," He replied, and Cyrus narrowed his gaze, "I'll put on the show, is that limousine ready?"

"Of course," Tom replied, and Fitz nodded.

Until then, Fitz was blocking out anything that Mellie had just told him. He had managed to dam up the pain and sorrow that Max had brought into his life, but now it was being ripped open. He was fighting it, Mellie's actions shouldn't surprise him, he had already had his suspicions, but he had tried to stem them – no one was that evil. Apparently Mellie was. How had he managed to share a bed with her so long, he felt himself starting to get sick.

"Are you ok, sir?" Tom asked and Fitz nodded.

He wasn't. He could almost feel Max in his arms, trembling in the pain that his little body couldn't take. His heart was ripped open again, along the barely sewn seams that had just started to heal. How had he gotten here? How was this his life? He started to want to hit something, but tried to keep it together. How could a mother do that to her child? He was suing for sole custody; there was no way that Karen or Gerry were ever being in a room with that woman again without supervision.

Olivia had said that she would help her. He decided that was what really stung. How could she possibly stand to even say that she help the woman who killed his child. Mellie was Mellie, she was nuts, she was insane, she was a monster. His Livy wasn't a monster, she was Livy. His Livy would never do that. So why did she run to Mellie's aid? Why was she in Chicago, why did she meet her? He could almost feel his blood boiling, and his hands were beginning to shake.

"Sir, we're here," Tom informed him as they pulled up to the door to the drop off.

Olivia got off her plane, and threw Mellie's shredded evidence into several of the trash bins on the way out of the terminal. She was just passing the security check point going the other way once she realized that there was almost no one in the terminal, even the other people on her plane were seemingly scarce. There were one or two, but they were walking much farther ahead of her. She was watching a group not too far in front of her with a minor bit of curiousity when they took a sharp left.

Suddenly she could see Fitz, standing just a few yards in front of her with a single rose in hand. Tom and Hal were flanking each of his sides. He smiled, like it was his knee jerk reaction to seeing her, and opened up his arms. There was something wrong, something not quite right about the look on his face. That was when she saw around him to the photographers lining up behind a ribbon outside.

"Fitz," She walked right into his arms, where he wrapped her up tight.

"I couldn't let them ambush you," He told her as Tom and Hal gave them a little space – going out of earshot, "They started showing pictures of us together on the five o clock news. They were already lined up."

"So you came to play doting boyfriend," She said, as he handed her the flower and kissed her softly.

"I figure if we act as if we weren't really hiding to begin with…"

"They'll eventually find us boring and lose interest," She replied.

"You have to admit," He said, kissing her forehead, "We are pretty boring."

"I guess," She said, as he took her carry on for her, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

There was still something about it that made Liv worry, he was still acting very strangely. The sliding doors out to the parking lane opened, and the flashbulbs were going crazy. Fitz leaned over and kissed the side of her head as an agent popped the hood of the trunk. Fitz lifted the suitcase into the back, while Liv waited. He turned around and smiled at her brightly – that was when she realized what was wrong – that was his fake, there's press around smile. Her Fitz didn't really smile like that in public. That was when it dawned on her – Mellie had already called him.

He wrapped her up in his arms for the press and kissed her, passionately. It was like he was trying to get the anger about it out at her – but at the same time – he had missed her. He genuinely wanted to feel the softness of her lips against his. He pulled away, and the smile was gone. He kissed her forehead again, and then led her up to the side door, opening it up for her himself.


	14. Abilene

A/N: dun dun dun… here we go. I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all for your reviews, they make me so happy anyways… the chapter title's a song (big shocker to you guys at this point) by Sheryl Crow.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Fourteen: Abilene

The limousine ride back to the White House was quiet, during which Fitz realized – rather stiffly – that Liv knew. It wasn't that he cared too much, but he had been hoping that they could keep the argument they were bound to have over it until they were in the safety of the residence. Tom and Hal looked back at them suspiciously, they weren't used to any sort of silence between the two anymore. Fitz draped an arm around her, as they both took a look out the back windshield. The press from the airport was now following the limousine.

"How did they catch us?" Olivia asked, trying to keep the tone casual – the last thing she wanted was to have a blow up in the back of the limo.

"They somehow got a picture of you leaving last night," Fitz informed her, leaning over and kissing the top of her head – because he needed to more than anything else, "Then they brought out pictures of us at Max's funeral, just as I shut the TV off they flashed one of us leaving the house in Burbank."

"Where're we headed?" Olivia asked, it seemed that Fitz too wanted to have this out in private.

"The kids are taken care of," He replied, "I'd love to spend some time with you tonight, just us."

He worded this very carefully, what he wanted to say was that he'd love to have her try to explain to him what was going on. She seemed to understand, because she nodded. Damn it, why did he have to love her so much? He started stroking the edge of her arm with the back of his hand softly.

"I think that's a good idea," She replied.

"How was your flight?" He asked, trying to make conversation so that it didn't seem like the way it was.

"Long," She replied, and he didn't doubt it.

They pulled up to the White House and the gates opened, letting the limo in and keeping the press out. They all parked their cars along the side of the street. Fitz got out of the car, and then helped Olivia out behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his chest. This was in part for the press, as the limo drove away, and in part because she didn't know when the next time was that she would be able to do so.

He smuggled her in the front door, and walked with her hand in his all the way to the residence. Tom and Hal stood outside the doors, as usual, as Fitz led her inside. James and Cyrus were sitting at the kitchen table, Karen and Gerry were in the living room, watching TV. They didn't notice them coming in, and they weren't about to alert them to it.

"Oh, James," Fitz said, as he dropped Liv's hand.

"The interview," Olivia realized, and James smiled cautiously.

"Sorry, guys," He said, "My editior's going to need something for tomorrow's paper. I tried telling him to wait it out and see how much hype we can capitalize on but…"

"Ok," said Fitz, looking quickly to Olivia, "That's fine, as long as we can do the interview quick."

"Yeah," She said, "That's fine."

"Ok," James said, "Just a few questions, honest."

"Fire away," Fitz said, sitting down, and pulling Liv onto his lap – using the cover of show – knowing that he had to get all the urges to hold her out of his mind.

"Look at you two, you're so cute," James smiled, "Ok, when did you guys meet?"

"Liv was basically in charge of my campaign," Fitz replied, "I fell in love with her at first sight."

"We spent years just telling each other that we couldn't be together," Olivia replied, "From my first day on. I quit after the campaign, I couldn't take working with him anymore – knowing that I couldn't have him."

"Then I chased her," Fitz admitted, "Which was pretty terrible of me. She was only trying to make my life easier, I made hers harder. Then, after I got shot I realigned my priorities."

"Where were you when you heard he was shot?" James asked me.

"His chief of staff, who knew a little bit about us called me," Olivia replied, "I rushed to the hospital, and was by his side the whole time."

"I wouldn't go into surgery until I saw her," Fitz added.

"And you were at the funeral? A gutsy choice?" James inquired.

"Fitz needed me," Olivia replied, "He was destroyed after Max died, and so I flew out to be with him. I wasn't going to go to the funeral, I was going to wait around and see him after – but he and the kids really wanted me there."

"The kids?" James asked, as if this was news to him, "The kids wanted you there?"

"Livy has a great relationship with both my kids," Fitz replied, "They've always adored her."

"The night you announced that you were in love," James looked at Fitz, "Was that something you discussed with her?"

"No," Fitz said flatly, "I'd asked her so many times over the months preceding it, right up until I was shot and every time she said no, that I couldn't. So, when I woke up that next morning, I realized I'm not waiting anymore, and she'll just have to forgive me for it."

"Thanks guys," James stopped the recorder, and snapped a picture of them quickly.

"Make us sound good, James," Fitz said as Olivia climbed off his lap.

"Make them fall in love with us," Olivia added and James nodded as Fitz got up and started to lead her away to the den.

"It shouldn't be too hard," James responded as they disappeared into the den.

The den was much more basic than the living room – that Karen and Gerry were occupying. It had a small leather couch, a fireplace, and walls and walls of books. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his forehead. She didn't know whether to sit down or remain standing, she didn't know how intense this would get, and didn't want to be at the disadvantage. She stayed on her feet, waiting for him to say something, anything.

"So, I'm guessing Mellie called you already," She said, once she was sure that he wasn't going to initiate conversation.

"Why would you agree to help her?" He tried to keep things in question format, "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"It's the same reason," She sighed, "I was blindsided by her, I didn't see this coming. I didn't know what to do. You were doing so much better by the night she called in. I didn't want this to be dug up for you again, and it wasn't my place to tell you. I wanted to hide it – I didn't want every newspaper in the country's first page story to be about it, right where Karen and Gerry would see it every day."

"So why have her tell me?"

"Because it didn't feel right, you not knowing," Olivia said, "But it also didn't feel right for me to tell you."

"I can't believe you, Liv," He replied, "I can't believe you would try and help her. That was my boy, Liv. That was my son that she just threw away, that she didn't care enough to realize was in fact a human being."

"Fitz," She breathed, "You're upset, I know that, but that's no excuse for what you just said. There is a line. I didn't orchestrate or condone what she did. The only involvement that I had, and that I will have to is to save you from any further pain."

He looked away from her.

"I just can't believe you would take her side over mine," He breathed.

"I didn't take her side – I was very firmly on your side. I won't ever not be on your side."

"How could you help her?" Fitz raised his voice, "How could you, Liv?"

He nearly collapsed onto the couch, and she took a deep breath of realization. This wasn't about her, he wasn't really asking why – he understood that – at least at the basic level. She took a deep breath and went over to him. He was almost in tears, but he wasn't going to let it happen. She sat beside him, and wrapped her arms around him – and he let her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," She replied, "I was trying to figure out what to do, but in the meantime I knew this wasn't something that anyone wanted mass produced and read while people were waiting in line to buy groceries. But most of all, I didn't want to have to see you – like this again."

He let himself lean into her a little more as she stroked the side of his head.

"I want you to stop it," He said softly, and she nodded, "I don't want Karen and Gerry knowing about it."

"Ok," She said.

"And I want you to make it so that they stay with me, permenantly," He said, "And only see Mellie on Holidays, with guards, and only for the day. She can pick a few over the summer."

"I'll try," She said and he nodded, "That might be a little harder."

"Try," He said, he sounded almost like a zombie.

"I love you," She said, "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I wouldn't-"

"I know," He replied, "I'm sorry. I'm just—"

"I understand," She told him as he turned his head and kissed her softly.

"I want you to stay here tonight," He said and she nodded.

"Ok, whatever you need, babe."

"Let's go watch the kids' show with them," He said, getting up, and turning to help her up, "I can't believe that she dragged you into this."

"I'm the fixer," Olivia shrugged, "I was pissed – but anyone else would have completely botched this."

He nodded as he led her back out of the room.

"Everything ok?" Cyrus asked as they walked back out.

"Nothing we can't handle," Fitz replied, "Where'd James go?"

"He went to pull around the car," Cy replied, "My knee's acting up."

"You don't have trouble with your knee," Olivia said.

"And you two don't have any problem screaming at each other, either," He replied, getting up, "I knew exactly what was going to happen when you guys went in there. I did a little digging when I found out you had been in Chicago, Liv. But I just wonder why would meet with her. And then in turn, why it would be such a big deal."

"Don't worry about it, Cy," Fitz said, "It's all being taken care of."

"It better be," Cyrus replied, looking straight at Olivia.

"It will be," She said, and he nodded.

"Good night, Liv," He said, making his exit, "Mr. President."

"Liv," Karen said as she and Gerry came out of the living room, "Daddy, come watch TV with Gerry and I."

"Ok," Olivia said, letting Gerry take her hand as Karen took Fitz's, "But you two have to promise to sit right with your dad, ok?"

"Ok," Karen said, and she smiled as they arranged themselves on the couch.

"Do we have to go see mom this weekend?" Gerry asked, "I'd much rather stay here."

"You don't miss your mom just a little bit?" Olivia replied.

"A little, I guess," Gerry admitted, and Olivia modded.

"Well," Fitz exchanged looks with Olivia – it was best to stick with the current custody agreement for now, "You have to go this weekend, I think. But, Tom and Hal are going to go with you. They're gonna stay with you all weekend, ok?"

"Yup," Gerry replied.

"What're we watching?" Fitz asked, putting an arm around each kid.

"Pirates," Gerry smiled, and Karen nodded.

"Ok," He said as Olivia took a breath.

"You guys go ahead and watch," She said, "I just have to make a quick call, and I'll be right back."

"Ok," Karen said as Olivia excused herself from the room.

She took out her cell phone, and went over into the kitchen. She leaned onto the counter and called Mellie.

"Hello," Mellie's fake sing-song voice answered the phone.

"Ok, Mellie," She said , "You fax me the list of names from the funeral, but you're going to have to agree to a few things first…"


	15. Start Me Up

A/N: Hello, all. So I started a new story called A Gala to Remember, and if you haven't read it, you should go check it out. It'll be updated weekly, I think. The title of this chapter's a song by the Rolling Stones. Enjoy I tried to add in a little doting boyfriend, Jazphace ; )

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Fifteen: Start Me Up

Olivia looked in the mirror trying to figure out what was wrong with her dress. It was just as fun and beautiful as it was the day Amelia had insisted on buying it for her. She took a deep breath, Tom and Hal would be there any minute to pick her up, but she was still waiting on a couple calls before she was ready to go out for the night. One was from Mellie, who had needed a few days to think over the new terms. These included very limited visitation rights to Karen and Gerry written into the divorce filings, who were with her for the weekend at least, and a written privacy clause where she was never to recount anything about her marriage to Fitz on paper. She could mention it in passing, but not go into detail. The other phone call was from Huck, who had already started going through the list from the funeral.

"Miss Pope?" Tom asked, knocking on the open door as he entered her apartment.

"Oh, hey guys," She said, "Make yourselves at home, I just have one more thing to do."

She could excuse herself at the Gala if either of them decided to call her back like they said they would. She was angry, she hadn't been expecting to have to go to this stupid Gala. It was a farewell dinner for Fitz, something that, apparently, they did. And, while he still had almost three weeks left as President, this was the only time in then where they could have it, scheduling issues. Furthermore, since the press found out, she was almost required to show up. Never mind the fact that she was the reason he had originally had to give up the job. She was not looking forward to that night.

"What's the point of sending us to pick you up if you leave the door wide open?" Hal called to her as she ran to just touch up her makeup.

"I told him that I could drive there," She called back, carrying her overnight bag and her coat as she went back to where they were in the living room.

"So I'm guessing this goes under the category of things to not tell the boss?" Tom asked, and Olivia nodded as Hal took her bag.

"Ready now?" Hal said quietly and she nodded.

"Yes," She replied, slipping her cell phone into her clutch then leading them out of the apartment.

They escorted her from her building to the limo that was waiting, to the White House, to the somewhat empty Residence. It was weird not having Karen or Gerry running around or sitting in the living room when she walked in. She was about to go sit on the couch when Fitz walked out from down the hall and smiled as he walked towards her.

She felt her knees go weak, he was so handsome. His hair was managed perfectly, letting just the perfect amount of his curls show while keeping it all contained. His jaw looked particularly sharp, for whatever reason and he was walking with the confidence and power that he had lost in the past months. His bow tie was tied perfectly, and his suit fit him like a glove. She smiled, watching his gorgeous gray eyes as they looked her up and down.

"You look amazing," He said, wrapping his arms around her as he reached her.

"You sure you wanna do this?" She asked and he cocked his head to the side.

"Liv, I was sure that I wanted to do this the first time I offered it up to you."

"No, Fitz," She said as he slipped his hands up and down her sides, "Are you sure you want to parade me around?"

"Liv," He sighed, kissing her forehead, "I've wanted to show you off to the world for a very long time. I think I've been very patient. If you don't want to do this tonight – we'll ditch. We'll go find something else to do."

"No, we're going," Olivia said.

She put her hand up on the side of his face, his gorgeous gray eyes were soft as they gazed into hers. He smirked slightly as one of his hands rested on the small of her back and the other held her hand to the side of his face. His big masculine hand very slowly, very gently, moved her little hand towards his mouth, where he kissed the palm of her hand. Shivers were sent all the way down her back and she looked up at him longingly as he held her there, right up against him.

"I love you, Olivia Pope," He said as she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck as his now free hand began caressing her cheek.

"You enjoy doing this to me way too much," She commented breathily, her knees starting to go weak.

"Doing what?" He feigned innocence.

"Mr. President?"

"Livy?" He whispered back, huskily.

"Just kiss me already."

He smiled, then pulled her in a little closer, pressing his lips against hers gently. Her hand when from the back of his neck up into his hair, as the hand on her cheek went to cradle her head. His tongue slipped out, and went to slide along her lower lip – but was met with no resistance. That was a first that he was definitely going to take advantage of. She moaned as his tongue tangled itself up in her, edging deeper and deeper, all the while enjoying the taste and feel of her mouth.

"Fitz," She let out as his mouth slipped off of hers and he started to nip and play with the side of her neck.

"Mmm?" He looked up momentarily and smiled.

"You've been holding out on me," She teased him and he shook his head.

He pressed her up against the counter, his hands low on her hips as he pecked her lips. His hands running tight circles, she nuzzled her face into his chest.

"Hey now," He replied, lifting her up so that she was sitting on the counter without any warning.

She smiled at him as he set her legs to the side, to get to her without doing any damage to her dress.

"Mr. President," Cyrus came into the room, "Sorry to interrupt, but there are about two hundred guests waiting for you downstairs."

"Shit," Fitz said under his breath.

"It's the least you can do to show up," Cy said aggravated, "You are leaving them in the hands of Langston. In a few weeks you'll have all the time in the world to…"

"Thanks, Cy," Fitz said sarcastically, as he helped Olivia down from the counter, and she reached up to fix his hair, "Presentable?"

"Yeah, what about me?" She asked, and he replaced a lock of her hair and he nodded.

"Perfect," He said.

"I'm gonna be sick," Cyrus said, "Both of you come here."

They both went and stood in front of him. He fixed Fitz's bow tie so that it was once again straight, and then flattened his not so flat anymore lapel. He turned to Olivia and fixed the rest of her hair, then the straps on her dress, and a couple of little things that Fitz wouldn't have noticed in a million years without them being pointed out to him.

"Now we can head down," Cyrus said, turning on his heel, causing them to follow.

"I think we're in trouble," Fitz joked out of the side of his mouth as he offered Olivia his arm.

"Best behavior here out," She said, eyeing Cyrus ahead of them wearily.

"Deal."

Cyrus led the way through the white house to the staircase that separated it with the main and political sectors. Olivia was nervous, and not in a good way. She was terrified of what people she had once called friends would think of her now. She had avoided almost everyone since it came out, except for the team. They didn't say much about it, other than a wise crack here and there. If that was all that was going to come from them, a few jokes were fine with her.

The press was huddled together at the bottom of the short stairwell, and Olivia felt the nerves starting to really sink in. Sensing this, Fitz gave her hand a quick squeeze as Cyrus scurried down the stairs. She went to start down the stairs, but he stopped her. She turned to look at him as he silently assured her that everything would be ok, and that he was there. He was in this, and wasn't going anywhere. He leaned over and kissed her forehead affectionately.

"It's going to be fine," He said under his breath as he took her arm.

"Best behaviors," She replied, recognizing a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Remember?"

"Fine," He offered his arm, and then led her down the stairs.

The flashbulbs all went nuts as they got closer and closer. Fitz started to very casually block her from view as he led her down the narrow pathway to the ball room – which was free of the majority of the press. There was one reporter inside, and that was one from the Post, just in order to cover the event. Olivia took a deep breath as they walked in.

"Oh great, we're sitting with Hollis," Fitz said, nodding over to the head table and Olivia made bug eyes, "It's only one night."

"As it is I already need a drink," Olivia said and Fitz chuckled, "I'll meet you over there."

She handed him her purse, taking a little bit of money out to tip the bartender, and then headed over. She ordered herself a Long Island, and a scotch to bring over to Fitz, knowing that he would need a little too. She sat at the bar for a minute waiting for the drinks while the room behind her began to fill up more and more. The bartender returned with the drinks, and she threw his tip in the jar as she turned. She took a step, watching the drinks, and very nearly walked right into Edison.

"So, little did I know exactly what I was playing against," He said, adding, "I guess the change in my pocket just wasn't enough, huh?"

"You did not just quote Cee-lo Green at me," She felt her blood heating up within a second, and hurt underneath that, "And you know that had nothing to do with it."

"He's been in love with you a long time," He commented, "I should warn him not to let you around Prince Charles, or anyone else who's richer or more powerful than him…"

"Just stop it, Edison," She replied, she did not want to get into this with him.

"Everything ok?" Fitz appeared by her side, coming to her rescue, "Hello, Senator."

"Mr. President," He nodded in recognition.

"Thanks, Livy," Fitz said as he took the scotch from her and wrapped his arm low around her back, "The rest of the table was wondering where you went."

He smiled at her kindly as he led her away towards the table.

"I owe you one," She whispered and he smiled.

"No problem whatsoever," He replied, kissing the side of her head just before they arrived at their table, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

They were about to sit, when the Olivia's cell phone went off in her purse.

"Oh, sorry guys," She said to the table at large, pulling it out, "I had a couple calls I was waiting on when I left. I'll be right back."

She set her drink down, and then rushed out of the ball room. She strategically picked the doorway that Tom was guarding so that she could get right back in. She walked a little ways down the hall, and answered.

"Hello?" She said, very business like.

"Ok," said Mellie, "I'll do it, if Fitz wants the kids – he can take them. I want visits with a chaperone one weekend a month. The chaperone can hang around with us if Fitz so desires."

"We can work out the little details when we put it in legally," Olivia replied, "Enjoy your weekend with them, Mellie."

"How's the investigation going?"

"I already had someone looking into the list of guests," Olivia replied, "We're on it."

"You were so quick to think I'd give in?" Mellie replied.

"You didn't really have a choice," Olivia replied, "I'll give the guy who's working on it a call, and call you in the morning."

She hung up and dialed Huck.

"How're we doing?" She asked as soon as she heard it stop ringing.

"It's a long list," Huck replied, "And the short one's even long. Do you realize how much society people actually hate each other? And I'm talking even the ones they're supposed to love."

"Welcome to the aristocratic world, Huck," She smiled faintly, "Just call me when you've made it through the list, ok?"

"Will do."


	16. Clocks

A/N: Hey all, hope you enjoy this chapter (: The title's a song by Coldplay.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Sixteen: Clocks

"Good morning, everyone," Olivia said happily as she walked into the office, Abby, Harrison, Quinn, and Huck taking notice.

She went straight into her office, where a dozen red roses were waiting on her desk. She smiled a little as she put down her purse, slipped her phone into her pocket, and walked back out to the conference room. Huck, Abby, Harrison, and Quinn were sitting around the table, Huck with a big stack of papers sitting in front of him. Quinn, Abby, and Harrison were just sitting there a bit clueless. Abby, who was sitting closest to Huck, was trying to look over to read what it was that he had – he blocked her vision.

"Do we get to know what you and Huck have been working on behind our backs now?" Harrison asked, he wasn't pleased with being kept in the dark – and Olivia didn't blame him.

"Yeah now that we know the other secret we get to know this one?" Abby asked, and Quinn just kept quiet, "I mean, you do realize you're on the cover of – everything – this morning, right?"

"Your dress was really pretty," Quinn offered up, and Olivia smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you, Quinn," She said, then turned to Abby, "You didn't know about this one because it's top secret."

As she said the last word, she slapped Mellie's picture up in the middle of their window that doubled as a board. The faces around the table showed various signs of surprise. Quinn being the most transparent, to Huck who had already known. She then went over and picked up the various files Huck had printed out of the most suspicious people who had attended Max's funeral – this included Fitz at the end, but Olivia didn't put that one up.

"So what's up?" Harrison asked, they were still waiting for the explanation – she took a deep breath.

"The first lady needs our help," Olivia told them, "There's story about her causing the death of her son coming out – and we need to stop it. In order to stop it, we have to figure out who it is that's routing around."

"She killed that boy?" Quinn asked, shocked – and the solemn look on Olivia's face answered her question.

"And your boyfriend knows you're helping her?" Harrison asked pointedly as Huck went up and put up Fitz's file, he had used the picture of him holding Max to his chest.

"He does," She replied, "And he's angry, he's hurt – but he doesn't want anyone to know – like his two little kids who watched their daddy get shot and their brother die in the same year – which is why… he's not a suspect."

She went over and pulled down his file, throwing it into the trash.

"We can't cut him out as a suspect just because he's your boyfriend. He has more rage and more motive than anyone," Abby said, going and getting the file from the trash, "Nice abs, way to go Liv."

"Where did you even get that picture, Huck?" Olivia asked as Abby returned to her seat.

"One of the nurses at the hospital," Huck replied.

"That's not the point," Abby said, putting Fitz's file in the middle of the table, "We'll just have to keep an eye on him –which I assume will be easiest for Liv to do. Which one of these people – other than him – do we think has the most cause for investigation here?"

Olivia looked up at the window with the rest of the team.

There were about nine pictures surrounding Mellie, Huck had done a top ten most likely. Amelia and Fitzgerald Sr. were the next two on the list, followed closely by one of Mellie's sisters – Jayne. Fitz's brother and sister hadn't been able to fly out on such quick notice, but had both called him – they were busy not monsters. The rest of the list were people that Olivia didn't really know. Three were various politicians – one being Langston's circle, Governor Hallman. The President hadn't quite stepped down – but he had since so there was no reason for Hallman to be snooping around. Another of the politicians was the newest California Governor, Charles Dixon. The last face on the wall was Cyrus, which was believable for whatever reason.

"I want you to replace Fitzgerald Sr. with Fitz's sister, Caroline," Olivia said, looking up at the wall, "Fitzgerald Sr. isn't that sentimental. And leave governor Hallman up there, but I don't think it's him. Langston gets the presidency in a few weeks, there'd be no point. I want you guys to look into Dixon more, his approval ratings aren't so good and Mellie would easily be able to take over if she wanted."

"Ok," Harrison replied, "Anything else?"

"Be careful looking into Cy, and I can handle Caroline," She said, "She's coming to visit the kids this weekend."

"Having you in there's really gonna help," Harrison said, and Quinn nodded.

"Unless it is El Jefe," Abby said, "But what is the timeline? How long do we have?"

"We don't know," Olivia replied, "Whoever it is isn't going to let anything out until they have proof. Otherwise the story isn't credible and gets buried in the National Inquirer."

"Understood," Huck said and Olivia nodded.

"Abby, Quinn," Olivia said, looking to them first, "You two are going to go keep an eye on Governor Dixon, your plane tickets and hotel reservations are in your offices already."

"Malibu?" Abby tried,

"Sacramento," Olivia corrected, "Harrison, you're going to Aspen. Stay with Mellie, make sure that nothing in her house can prove anything and if so, dispose of it."

"Oh, I get to babysit the baby killer?" He didn't seem too pleased.

"Huck, you're going to keep looking into everyone on the board – I want the same sort of Write up for Caroline, and anything else you can find on any of them," She said, "And I'm going to keep an eye on Cyrus and the family – Any questions?"

"Nope," Abby said, and they all got up from the table – that was, except Huck.

"What is it, Huck?" Olivia asked.

"You hate seeing the badguy get away," Huck said, "Why're we helping?"

"Mellie did an inexcusable thing," Olivia agreed, "But she can't go down without it being shoved in Fitz's face – or in the kids' faces. They'll have to live knowing their mother killed their brother – and I don't want them to have to."

"What happens if it is the President?" He asked and Olivia shook her head.

"It's not, Huck," She said.

"I'm still going to look into him."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Olivia looked back at the board, trying to figure out, based on logic, who would have the motive to look into Mellie so intensely. Huck disappeared, back to his cave – and she just looked at the board. She was trying to use her gut to decipher who it might be, but her gut was already proving to her that it would not help her with this case – she cared too much. All she could think of were all the different motives and all the different reasons everyone on that board would want to dig this up. That was when her phone rang.

"Olivia Pope," She answered, very business-like.

"When's your lunch break?" It was Fitz.

"I don't take one," She replied, still looking up at the wall.

"Oh, C'mon – even I get a lunch break," He replied, she rolled her eyes.

"What're you plotting?" She asked, not amused.

"I was just wondering if I could kidnap you for about an hour this afternoon," He replied and she sighed heavily.

"I'm working on a case," She replied and he hummed.

"I figured you'd say something like that," He replied, "But I thought maybe if I begged –"

"Begging doesn't look good on you," She replied, as Abby came into the room with Quinn, she had to fight not to blush.

"Ok," He replied, "How's this: I'm picking you up in twenty minutes for your lunch break."

"Fine," She said as Harrison walked in too, they all had their coats on, ready to leave – she hung up.

"Oh, let the man with the nice abs beg," Abby teased and Olivia rolled her eyes – they all had to be gone before he showed up.

"You're all leaving," Olivia reminded them, and Harrison nodded.

"Just wanted to say good bye before we went home to pack," He said, as he turned to go.

"Call me if any of you call me if you find anything," She called after them, "Or just call me anyways."

"You got it, Liv," Quinn said squeakily as Olivia went back to her office for a few minutes.

"How in depth do you want me to go on the family?" Huck asked as he appeared in the doorway.

"As far as you need to figure out if one of them has more motive over the other," She told him as she put her coat on.

"Where're you going?"

"So this is where you work?!" Fitz's voice echoed behind them, and they both walked out to the conference room – where thankfully Huck had taken down the photos.

"What're you doing in here?" Olivia asked, looking at Tom and Hal, who were flanking his sides.

"I told you," He said, going over and kissing her softly, "I'm picking you up – hey Huck."

"Mr. President," He replied.

"Let's go," Fitz smiled like a little boy, "I only get an hour, right?"

"Right," She said as Tom led the way out of the office, Hal bringing up the rear.

"You're not even going to ask where we're going?" He asked as they climbed into the back of the Presidential limousine.

"Would you tell me if I asked?" She replied.

"No," He replied, and she rolled her eyes.

"So why would I ask?" She said as the driver pulled away from the curb.

He smiled happily.

"Just thought you'd be curious," He replied, leaning in and kissing her softly.

"What was that for?"

"I just pulled you out of work," He replied, "I figured I owed you at least a kiss. What's your case?"

"Mellie," She replied simply, "I'm not taking any other ones until I've got it solved."

"Oh, right," He said, which put a damper on the conversation for the rest of the ride.

They made small talk, chatted about Karen and Gerry. He told her how much they missed her, and how much fun they had apparently had with Mellie, which was good seeing as it was going to be a pretty rare event that they saw her now. The limo stopped, and Olivia turned to look out the window, but Fitz stopped her.

"Let me surprise you," He said, pulling her into his arms, eyes locked on hers, "Close your eyes, let me surprise you."

She did as she was told, and he took her by the arm out of the car. He linked arms with me, and helped me up a couple steps before he stopped us. He leaned over and kissed the side of my head, and then trailed them down to about my ear.

"Open your eyes, Livy," He whispered, smiling against her neck.

She opened her eyes as he pulled away from her. She was looking at a beautiful, brand new mock-colonial style house. Everything about it looked old, and yet the lawn and everything about it was brand new. She turned and looked at him, shocked. His eyes were bright with excitement.

"I found it and I couldn't not get it," He replied, "It's got room for Karen and Gerry and sleepovers and foreign guests if I need to, and as soon as you're ready – you."

"You're ridiculous," She said, still looking up at the house – it was perfect.

"It's five bedrooms," He said, "You can have your own room – you can have two rooms if that'll make you move in faster. Do you want to see the inside?"

"Does it already have furniture?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Half," He replied, taking her hand and starting to pull her towards the house, "The other half hasn't come in yet. C'mon."

"You actually bought a house," She commented as he pulled her in through the front door.

"I needed to," He replied, "Karen and Gerry need a roof over their heads."

"Karen and Gerry now have four or five roofs over their heads," She pointed out as he started showed her through the entry way to the living room.

"Yes, but they don't have one near you," He replied, "And if I plan on living near you – they are going to too."

He continued the tour into the kitchen, that had beautiful marble counter tops and two ovens, just in case. The dining room had a beautiful mahogany table, and the walls were lined with expensive looking dishes. The library was filled with every kind of book imaginable, Fitz's biographies to Karen's pre-teen romances. Then there was the formal sitting room, with beautiful and what looked like historical antique furniture.

"Do you like it?" He asked as he paused by the stairs.

"Fitz, this place is beautiful."

"I thought you might like it," He smiled in reply.

Then he brought her up the stairs, leading her by the hand. He showed her the two guest rooms, telling her that he could even knock out the wall between them if she wanted. He showed her Karen's room, which apparently he let her design for the most part, and Gerry's room that was all his own creation as well. He made a detour and showed her the bathrooms, before stopping outside the last room at the end of the hall.

"And what's behind this door?" She asked and he smiled.

"The master bedroom," He replied simply.

"Are you going to show it to me?" She smiled playfully and he checked his watch.

"Nope," He smiled tauntingly, "I have to get you back to work. Maybe some other time."

"We still have fifteen minutes before we even have to start heading back," She replied, going for the handle, but he stopped her.

"You insult me," He teased her, pulling her back down the hall, "What do you think I am? Some frat boy?"


	17. Nobody Speaks to the Captain No More

A/N: Thanks for the love in the form of reviews! And, This is me impatiently awaiting the new episode: ahhhhhhhgalkjdf;alskjdf… The title song is by Jimmy Buffett.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Seventeen: Nobody Speaks to the Captain No More

He was sitting at his desk in the Oval Office. It was weird to him, but for whatever reason he had just started to realize that he would miss his office. His jail cell, as he had very affectionately come to call it in the past couple months. He looked around it, then down at the magazine that Cyrus had made sure was placed on his desk. The cover was a picture of Lib and him dancing at the ball the night before, with a side picture of him kissing her forehead at the top of the stairs to the residence. It was worth it. He didn't want the office as much as he wanted that.

He looked over at the clock, he was almost done for the day – only three hours left. He pulled out files on East Sudan, and looked them over. At this point he only doing a fourth of the work, Langston got everything first, and he just made sure that she didn't do anything stupid. He had to make sure that she was continuing the policies and standards that they had been working off of for the past two years.

"Daddy," Karen walked into the office with her backpack still on.

"Hey, Kare," He said, looking up, "How was school? Where's Gerry?"

"He went to a friend's house after school, remember?"

"Oh, yeah – sorry sweetie," He said, "So, school?"

"Good," She replied, "The school's having a career day next week. Do you think Liv would go?"

"Liv? You don't want me to go?" He asked, surprised.

"I figured you'd be busy," She replied, "Besides, you're stepping down."

"Karen, what Liv does is very secretive," He replied, and she nodded, "She may not be able to – but I can ask her for you tonight. But she might not be able to do it, ok?"

"She's coming over?"

"For dinner," He told her, "Go do your homework, ok? If you need any help I'll be there in a couple hours, ok?"

"Ok, Daddy."

"And call Gerry, make sure he does his homework," He added, "And tell him to be home for dinner."

"Ok, anything else?"

"C'mere," He said, pushing his chair out from his desk and opening his arms.

She ran into them and he wrapped her up in a hug.

"I love you so much, kare," He told her as he let her go and she smiled.

"I know, Daddy," She said, "And it's ok, you're stepping down."

"Is it?"

"It's cool that you're president and everything," She said, "But it's dangerous. I'd rather have my dad than have my dad be president."

"You think about that a lot?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"I'm working on it with Dr. Heimick," She said and he nodded, kissing the top of her head.

"Good," He replied, visibly somewhat troubled, "I'll be there in a couple hours, ok?"

"Ok," She said, and she headed off towards the residence.

He stashed the papers back in the desk, and then went down the hall to Langston's office. There was no point to him looking everything over by himself. It was very soon to be all on Langston anyways there was no point t pretending that he was still the one in charge. Technically he was, of course, but he didn't want Langston to run around undoing everything he had just done – therefore he had to make sure she was on board before he left. When he walked in she was sitting at her desk, apparently reading the same thing he had been, and he sat on the couch casually.

"Getting through it?" He asked kindly, not condescendingly as she looked up.

"It is thick," She agreed, "What're you doing here?"

"I figured we could figure something together," He told her, "Something we can both agree on."

"You are a beloved President," Sally said, "And you're leaving me with the burden of finishing it without anyone wanting me here. And you're offering me your help?"

"Why not?" He said, "You have my full support."

"It's not a secret that you're the JFK," She replied, "I will not be Johnson."

"So let me help you," He replied, "Johnson didn't have the benefit of Kennedy on his side."

Langston eventually folded – and they spent the rest of their work day trying to figure out a least a start of a way to deal with their issues with East Sudan. Fitz was watching the clock the whole time, ready to jump up and go as soon as he was allowed. He walked up to the residence, Tom and Hal walking with him, as Gerry's agent was walking with him.

"Hey, buddy," He smiled, "How was school?"

"Eh, it was school," Gerry replied, and I nodded, "How was work?"

"Eh, it was work," Fitz told him and Gerry smiled a little bit, "You get your homework done?"

"Um, not really," He replied and Fitz nodded.

Of his two kids, Karen was the one that excelled and do well in school. That just wasn't Gerry's foray, so much so that that most everyone had pitched in and given him little tutoring sessions while they were out on the campaign. He put a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't that Gerry was dumb – he was extremely intelligent, and sometimes he'd come out with stuff that surprised everyone. He had some things up there that no eleven year old even bothered to know about.

"Well why don't you give it another try before dinner?" He said, "It shouldn't take you very long, then you can relax before dinner."

"I can play xbox?"

"Didn't you do that all afternoon at Gabe's?" Fitz countered – he knew his son all too well – but hated to see his face drop like it did, "Tell you what, Liv's coming for dinner tonight. We'll order in. I'll help you with your homework, and then we'll do something together."

"Really?" Gerry said, "And Liv's coming? Can we all watch a movie, or are you gonna hog her?"

"I bet we can fit in a movie," He said, as they walked into the living room and Gerry dropped his backpack on the couch, "C'mon, let's get that homework out."

"Daddy?" Karen said as she walked out into the living room, "Can you look over my essay?"

"When's it due?" He asked as Gerry pulled his homework out.

"Day after tomorrow, "She said and he nodded.

"How about I go over it with you tomorrow afternoon?" He said, "We can do it in the oval, right when you get home from school."

"Ok," she said.

"You done with your homework?"

"Yup." She said.

"Here," I handed her my personal cell phone, "Call Liv, ask her if she has any Chinese food preferences."

"Chinese food?" They said it almost in unison.

"Better get that homework done, Gerry," He teased him as he turned to help him.

I put his math worksheet on the table, telling him that it was ok Math wasn't his strong suit – that it was hard for a lot of people. His problem, I had diagnosed through helping him so many times was that he was trying to go too fast. That's why he made mistakes in his math equations and his handwriting was nearly illegible. He would calm down, and do well. Right now though, it was just pure frustration. Fitz didn't blame him for not wanting to do it. He could never understand why math teachers would assign so much homework – practicing it wrong only screwed the kids over more.

"You know, Uncle James was telling me the other day that he always had trouble with math too," Fitz offered up as soon as he was done helping him, and he was putting it back into his backpack.

"Really?"

"Yeah, maybe math just isn't your thing," He assured his son, "Maybe you'll be a writer."

"So I don't have to do Math?"

"You still have to get through school," He tasseled his hair as Karen returned with his phone.

"Sorry, I forgot it in the kitchen, then forgot to bring it back," She said, "Olivia said she'd call it in and pick it up on the way over – she was just leaving work, and had to run home."

"Ok," He said, as Gerry returned.

"Dad?" Gerry asked.

"What's up?"

"Why aren't we seeing mom as much?" He asked, "She said you didn't want us gone that much."

"Your mom's having – a hard time – with what happened to Max," Fitz chose his words carefully, he didn't want to outwardly lie to them.

"Like when they put her on that other floor?" He asked, and Fitz nodded – exactly like that.

"Daddy, when do we get to move into the new house?" Karen asked and he smiled.

"Two and a half weeks," He replied, smiling at her kindly.

"Are you coming with us, Liv?" Karen asked as Olivia walked through the door, Tom behind her carrying the food.

"Am I going where?" She asked, caught off guard as the three of them went to her.

"To the new house with us," Gerry said, as he attacked her with a hug.

"Not just yet," She told him, hugging him back tight, "But I'll still visit all the time, ok?"

"Since dinner's here early," Fitz said to Gerry, "How about you try to teach me how to play something on Xbox for a while after dinner?"

This excited his son, and he smiled as they all sat down to dinner. Karen ranted and raved about all the things they were doing in school, and what they were learning – but he noticed she left out Career Day. Gerry was talking all about how he was doing in soccer, and how they were playing in the gym class that week. After they had finished eating, and everything was cleaned up he went and let Gerry teach him how to play some skateboard game. Then the four of them watched a movie. Indiana Jones, Karen and Gerry had agreed on one for once. By the end of the movie, both were asleep on the couch. Fitz chuckled.

"C'mon guys," He said as he and Liv woke them up gently, "Time for bed, let's go."

"Wha?" Gerry said as his head came off his pillow, Karen just looked confused.

"It's past both of your bedtimes," He replied, to the sleepy kids as they got off the couch, "Go brush your teeth and go to bed, ok?"

"Night Daddy," Karen said, and ushered her brother out of the room as Fitz turned the TV from the credits to the news.

"Good night, sweetheart," He called after them as Liv cuddled up into his side.

"I love them so much," Olivia commented as he turned down the sound, it wasn't like they were going to be watching it at all really.

"I didn't coach her into asking you to move in," He pointed out and she rolled her eyes as he snuggled her up tighter,

"The kids just want you there."

"You're going to have to get a nanny, once you're not in the white house anymore," Olivia pointed out, and he nodded.

"They hate nannies," He replied, "Do you have any idea how many they've chased off over the years?"

"What about a cousin?" She asked, "How old are Caroline's kids? Or Dennis's kids? Do they like their older cousins?"

"Caroline's oldest is twenty, but she's in college," He said, "Dennis's oldest daughter's twenty-one. She's at Georgetown, and going to graduate in the spring."

"Give her a call," Olivia said, "That's a temporary fix for both of you. What's she at school for?"

"I think she's in for Phycology," He replied, "I think he said something about her taking her GRE's last I talked with him. So she'll be going back to school pretty immediately too."

"That sounds perfect," Liv said, "Offer her a room in the house, so she doesn't have to live on campus, a little bit of money – she'd do it."

"You think?"

"Do the kids like her?"

"They love her, well – not as much as they love you," He said, "Speaking of which, Karen wants me to ask you if you'll go to career day at her and Gerry's school."

"Career Day?" Olivia looked terrified – he had known it was a bad idea, "I cover up sex scandals, and help people get away with the crazy shit-"

"I told her you probably wouldn't be able to do it," He stopped her, "I'll go, I think they were hoping I would anyways. And how is that going, Mellie's case?"

"It's going," She replied, "We have a short list of suspects that we think might be looking into it."

Just as she finished her sentence the news flipped from the more reputable to the Hollywood side a brightly colored logo took over the entire screen. It was apparently time for the societal news, and Fitz reached for the remote – not caring about it much. However, he was too slow and Olivia's picture flashed onto the screen, it was a picture of him helping her into the limo earlier that day.

"Turn it up," Olivia said, looking over to him.

"Olivia, nothing good—"

"Turn it up," she replied, "My reputation… I at least need to know what it is."

"Fine," He replied, and turned up the sound.

"…Ms. Pope has been spending a lot of time with hot Prez boyfriend over the last couple days," the girl on the TV show announced, their picture was still behind her, "Including this shot where it seems that Prez was helping America's new sweetie into the limo about midday. Lunch break rendezvous anyone? Who could blame them, as half the country's already accepted Ms Pope into their own hearts? President Grant's presidency might be winding down – but I don't see him getting out of the limelight anytime soon."

"Was that approving?" Olivia asked.

"And I was worried that we would lose all credibility," He said sarcastically as he shut off the TV.

"We're the new 'it' couple," Olivia looked horrified.

"It could be worse," He replied.

"How so?"

"They could have hated us," He replied, "Condemned us, caused the country to chase me out with pitchforks."

"That's true," She replied, as her cell phone rang – she checked it, Harrison, "That is as long as Mellie's news doesn't come out, because if it does – at this point? We're all screwed."


	18. Bad Moon Rising

A/N: Ok, so in the interest of winding this story down, this will be the second to last chapter. The song's by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Eighteen: Bad Moon Rising

"What is it, Harrison?" She said as she stepped out into the kitchen where she could have some privacy, but Fitz followed her out.

"The house is clean," Harrison reported, and she nodded.

"Good."

"But Huck's been trying to call you all night though, he finally called me to see if I could get through," Harrison replied, and Olivia sighed.

"What's he found?"

"He won't tell me," He replied, "You're going to have to call him yourself."

"Ok," She replied, "Stay with her, make sure that –"

"She's comfortable, seriously?"

"I'm not happy about it either, Harrison," She replied, for all she cared Mellie was welcome to die which ever painful way that she wanted, "But she's a client."

"Just call Huck," Harrison told her as he hung up the phone.

"Harrison's not happy?" Fitz observed.

"He's in Aspen, babysitting Mellie," Olivia told him without blinking and he nodded.

"You couldn't have sent Huck to do that?" His anger slipped out, and Olivia sighed, "Sorry, that was juvenile."

"Don't have any of those slips in front of the team," Olivia replied, "They're already criticizing the fact that I don't think it's you."

"Why would I even want to know?" He replied, "I had my suspicions but I wasn't going to look into it. I didn't want to know. Why would I want my kids to know? Why would I want anyone to know?"

"I understand that," She replied, tapping her phone on the side of her leg, "But my team doesn't know you as well as I do."

"I have to go to the bathroom," He said, downing what little was left in his glass from dinner.

Olivia took the opportunity to call Huck, she didn't know if she wanted him near her when she talked to him. She didn't know what Huck was going to tell her. Her gut was all messed up in this case, and she was flying pretty much blind. She would never admit it, but she was relying heavily on the team on this one.

"Olivia?" Huck answered the phone.

"Huck," She replied, "What've you got?"

"It's not good," He replied, "It's one of the family, this is going to get so messy so quickly."

"Who is it, Huck?" She asked and he sighed, "Huck."

"It's Amelia, the President's mother," He replied.

"Are you sure?"

"I found the private investigator that's been stalking her," He replied, "Harrison snapped a photo of him earlier. I tracked it down, and figured out who he was working for. His pay check's coming from her account. I'm sure."

"Damn it," Olivia breathed, as Fitz came back into the kitchen, "Ok, call Abby and Quinn, get them back here. Tell Harrison to stay where he is and keep that investigator as far from her as possible. Abby and Quinn have to watch that house. We have to be absolutely certain."

"A break in the case?" Fitz asked as she hung up and she nodded – she needed to go – immediately, "Do I get to know?"

"Not yet," She replied and he nodded.

"You're about to bolt out of here without any sort of explanation," He said, his eyes locked with hers, "Leaving me terrified that it's something to do with me, and maybe that you're rethinking us, leading to a sleepless night for me."

"That's just not fair," She replied and he nodded.

"Tell me about it."

"What would you rather me do?" She asked and he stepped closer to her, taking her phone.

"Honestly?" He said, setting the phone on the counter, "I want you to let yourself forget about it, not permanently, just for now. Don't let work, don't let Mellie ruin our night."

"Fine," She breathed, and he took her hand.

"Now can we go back into the living room and pretend like Harrison never called?" He asked, "Or do I have to pull the 'you love me' card and seduce you back into the other room?"

"I think I might need a little help," She smiled, and he grinned, slowly pulling her close to him and kissing the edge of her jaw near her ear.

"Go wait for me on the couch," He breathed in her ear, nibbling on the edge of it.

She did as she was told, leaving her phone there on the counter as she walked back into the living room. She sat down on the couch, and stared off at the TV, attempting to do as Fitz had requested. She let her eyes close and exhaled noisily. Fitz smiled as he walked back into the living room himself, carrying two glasses of wine.

"Have I told you you're beautiful today?" He asked and she rolled her eyes as he sat down – handing her one glass.

"Are you ever going to allow me into your new bedroom?" Olivia asked and he shrugged.

"You can go in the one down the hall."

"Why're you being weird about this?"

"Liv, there was something that I wanted to do, this afternoon," He said, "But I ran out of time."

"Yes, I was well aware of that," She replied, and he shook his head, turning to look at her, setting his glass on the coffee table.

"Livy, we've been playing around and chasing each other for years," He said, taking a deep breath, "And while I promised you courtship – and I will and have been doing that – I don't want to be stuck in this stage any longer than is necessary."

"Fitz…"

"I've been waiting for a life with you, Liv," He continued, "I've been pining for you, and so in love with you…"

"Fitz."

"I'm lost, without you Livy," He smiled shyly, making her stomach flop, "So I was just wondering, if you wouldn't mind being courted as my fiancé?"

He took his hand out of his back pocket, and held up the ring, right in front of her. It was the ring that she had been waiting years for – and it was perfect. The band was a brilliant platinum, and had little diamond inlays shining around the band, which split into two around the diamond. The setting was a tulip starting to open so that the diamond that it held onto so tightly was the body of the flower. It was beautiful, and dainty. The diamond was big, but not so that Olivia would look like she was wearing an entire skating rink. It was perfect, but she was silent.

"Is the diamond too big?" He asked nervously, "I knew you wouldn't want a huge one, but after all I've put you through, I thought you deserved—"

"Stop talking," She demanded, and he shut his mouth immediately, and the silence returned.

Her mind was going a mile a minute, everything she had ever wanted was looking her right in the face, and she couldn't accept it. She wanted to say yes so badly, but she couldn't get Amelia, his mother, out of her head. She couldn't accept, not like this. If it ended up being Amelia, and he found out that she knew at this moment in time, and she wasn't telling him…but there was no need to tell him if it wasn't her. She was hoping, and praying that it wasn't her, but Huck had what was basically proof. How the hell could this be the timing?

"Fitz," She breathed, taking his hand, holding his wrist, carefully avoiding the ring – not letting herself look at it, "I love you, so much. You have to know that."

"Liv," He replied, as realization started to dawn on his face.

"We can't get engaged like this," She told him, "Fitz, you have to trust me here. I would love nothing more than to accept, you have to know that. But I can't – not like this."

"Like what?" He asked, she could see the pain starting to show on his face.

"Fitz," She breathed, taking his face into her hands, "I love you. The ring, it's perfect, it's exactly what I've always wanted. You are perfect. I want to marry you. I just can't accept right now."

"Harrison called," He said simply and she nodded, "You're letting what Mellie did ruin it."

"That's unfair," She replied, "You asked me to help on this case. You wanted me to help her, you don't get to be offended when I can't –"

"I'm moving on, I'm trying to move on," He replied, "Just say yes, Livy. Please."

"You yourself said that you've already put me through so much," She replied, "I knew this was coming, but I would have hoped that you would have waited until this crisis was over. I don't want to be dealing with this when I get engaged to you. I want it to be over, completely, I want it to be perfect."

"I'm sorry," He said sadly, retracting the ring, and putting it back in his pocket.

"I should go."

"Livy, please don't," He replied, "Don't go, it was stupid. I was stupid. I knew I shouldn't have asked you, I should have put on the brakes when Harrison called."

"No, I should go," She got up and he hopped up to his feet with her, "I told Huck I wouldn't be much longer."

"You're ditching me for Huck?" He teased her, attempting to lighten the mood, "That's a new one."

"It's for the case," She said simply, as he walked her to the door.

He nodded.

"You have to work on it tonight?" He asked, as she wrapped her arms up around his neck.

"You just gave me one more reason to be done with it," She replied, going up on her tiptoes, "You keep that ring safe for me, ok?"

"It'd be safest on your finger," He breathed, as she leaned in and kissed him, then left without another sound.

She went out to the parking lot escorted by Tom, who even opened her car door for her. She drove right off of the lot, and pulled out her cellphone, calling Huck. He had already set up surveillance at Amelia's home in Maryland, where she was residing currently. She was there just in case she was needed, but under the new circumstances, it was just too perfect. She would want to be close.

"Huck," She said, as she parked a few streets away, "Have you seen anything?"

"Nope, I saw her and her husband pull into the place a little while ago," He replied, "But that was about it. It's like a compound in there."

"Have you found any more evidence?" She asked.

"Plenty," He replied, "Phone records, proof that they were in California at the time. She's been having Mellie followed since the baby died. She must have had a bad feeling about it."

"Ok," She replied, "They won't be doing anything tonight. I want you to go home and get some rest. Quinn and Abby will take over in the morning, and be on day duty. I'll go tonight."

"No, there's a chance they'll recognize you," He replied and she sighed, "Besides you can't see a thing that's going on in there. It's like a castle."

"It's like a Grant household," She replied, then took a deep breath, "I have to get in there."

"And how're you going to do that?" He asked, and Olivia took a deep breath, "By now she knows that you're on her case."

"But she doesn't want me to know it, obviously," Olivia said, "But for now I'm the new woman that her son adores."

"What?" Huck asked.

"I'm going in," She explained.

Ten minutes later she had messed up her hair a little, and made herself a little more ragged. She was standing at the front door, about to knock when the door opened, and Amelia was standing before her.

"Liv, what're you doing here, it's late," She said, kind as always – it didn't compute, were Amelia and Mellie really that similar, "What happened to you? Is everything ok? Oh, c'mon in, I'll fix you up some tea if you want."

"That would be great," Olivia said, as Amelia stepped aside and she walked into the house, "Thank you. I'm so sorry for coming to you so late. It's just, I didn't really know where else to go."

"It's fine, sweetheart," She said as she led her into the kitchen, "Where are you coming from?"

"I was just with Fitz, actually," Olivia said, settling down at the table.

"Oh, is something wrong with him? Are you two ok?"

"We're fine," Olivia replied, "He's just…"

"He doesn't always think things through," She replied, and Oliva nodded, "What'd he do this time? When he was a kid he was always the one that we had to help out of trees. He could get himself up, but was never ready for the trip back down."

"It feels so weird coming to you," Olivia replied, and she nodded, "But my own mother's in Chicago, and I really don't want to…"

"Don't worry about it, Liv," Amelia poured them both tea, and went to sit with her at the table, "I know why you're here."


	19. Dirty Little Secret

A/N: The Final Chapter! Get ready for everything to come together. The title song's by All American Rejects – I couldn't help myself… :D Plus, it still fits for Mellie's issues.

Apparitions in the Night

Chapter Nineteen: Dirty Little Secret

"He asked you to marry him," Amelia said, "He told me he was going to once the house was finalized."

Olivia was stunned as she walked out of Fitz's parents' compound hours later. There was no way that it was Amelia, she had no idea what was going on. Amelia wasn't scary to her, that was why she had decided to go in without anyone else. It was incredibly low risk, Amelia was physically harmless. Amelia had confessed to knowing that Fitz was going to ask her, but nothing else. She was disappointed that Olivia hadn't accepted his offer – but Olivia didn't have the heart to explain to her exactly why she hadn't. She instead made it seem like she had panicked, which wasn't entirely a lie.

What she was panicking about now, however, was the fact that if it wasn't Amelia, it had to be Fitzgerald Sr. That, was a thought that terrified her. She had no idea what exactly he was capable of, or what he was thinking he was going to gain by outing Mellie's evil secret. She took a deep breath as she sat in her car - with the doors locked. She took a deep breath. How was she going to handle the dinner party the next night? Fitz was having a "Last Supper", a little get together that night – that was if she was still invited.

That was a whole other thing entirely. Her extraordinarily long talk with Amelia, his mother, had made her feel even more guilty for not accepting Fitz right away, in addition to the panic of realizing that Fitzgerald Sr. was behind all the crazy mess.

"Huck?" She said, calling him on the phone as she drove away from the house, "It's not Amelia – she has no idea."

"Are you sure?"

"It's Fitzgerald Sr.," Olivia told him – it was so obvious, how had she missed it?

Fitzgerald Sr and Mellie were so ridiculously similar that it wouldn't be all that of a stretch for them to on the same wave length. Afterall, even though it was a horrific plan, it was politically brilliant, and Fitzgerald Sr.'s brain worked the same exact way. He was the patriarch, of course he was keeping tabs on everyone, he probably had people following each of his children's spouses. He didn't trust anyone.

"What's the new orders?" Huck asked.

"I'm sorry, I know I told you you could sleep – but"

"We both know I don't sleep."

"I want you to get into his office, see if he has anything in there that proves he's specifically working on this issue surrounding Mellie."

"Ok," He said.

"Call Abby and Quinn," Olivia continued, "They're on their plane, but leave them a voicemail telling them that they are to go directly to the compound to watch it for the night. If anything happens they are to protect Amelia first, ok?"

"Is she in danger?"

"I don't think so, but Fitzgerald Sr-"

"Don't worry about it, Olivia," Huck said, "We've got your back."

She had apparently missed quite a few calls while she was in with Amelia. A message popped up telling her about them after she hung up with Huck. She looked at them, one was Harrison, and the other four were Fitz. She took a deep breath, wondering if anything could even be fixed over the phone – she didn't want to call. It would be easier to call him in the morning, she could say that she fell asleep. He would know the truth, and then it would be worse.

"Thank God," He breathed as he answered the phone, "I really don't feel right about you leaving. Could you please come back?"

That was a good idea, she didn't want to be alone at her apartment by herself that night anyways.

"I'll stay the night," She told him, "I'll just go swing by my apartment and get enough things for tomorrow."

"That would be great too," He replied, "And don't worry, I'll hide the ring away. I won't…"

"You keep that ring out," She replied, taking him slightly off guard, "I have something to discuss with you – but then, you better be ready to get down on one knee –"

"That was a quick turn around," He replied, teasing, "What if I don't want to marry you anymore?"

"Then I'll just have to go find someone else."

"In that case, get here as soon as you can?"

"I'm coming," She replied, "But we do have to talk first."

"Ok," He replied, "I'll have Tom meet you at the desk."

Olivia parked her car, and didn't even have to get to the front security desk when Tom met her.

"Twice in one evening?" Tom asked as he walked her up to the front of the White House, there were cameras everywhere, "What does he do the pleasure?"

"Miaa Pope, it's late," One of the reporters said as they tried to walk by, "And you were already here this evening."

"I had to step out for a couple hours for work," Olivia told them, "But I promised I would come back."

"Are you spending the night tonight?" Another reporter called from behind that one.

Olivia didn't answer that, but simply kept walking with Tom past the guard, and into the lawns. She was heading straight for the front door of the White House, and Tom nodded and motioned for her to follow him instead. He led her around to the side yard, which was protected from view by tall hedges, it was dark, and there wasn't much over there. No one went over there, and she was starting to wonder why Tom would have brought her this way, until she saw Fitz standing there, in the middle of the lawn, waiting for her.

"I thought we'd walk, and talk?" He offered, and she nodded as she took his arm, he kissed the side of her head as Tom went to take her things to the residence, leaving them in the capable hands of the grounds security.

"I love you so much," She said, and he smiled as she dropped his arm so that he could drape it around her shoulders.

"You know there was a time you said that so rarely I could count them on one hand."

"This is true," Olivia replied, "Listen, I'm really sorry about earlier."

"You were upset," He said, "I'm sorry I didn't…"

"Fitz, Harrison called to tell me to call Huck," Olivia started, "Because he thought that he had figured it out. And my gut's all messed up because this is basically your case, and so I've been leaning on the team. Huck thought it was Amelia, who was snooping around. We know now that's not true – but she's your mother…"

"And I was asking you to marry me the minute that you realized that you had to stalk my mother," He said, understandingly, "Who you know is the only parent I get along with…"

"But I went over there," She said, "And I talked to your mom, for hours. She has no idea."

"I could have told you that, she hates Mellie – but she would never accuse anyone of that…"

"Except the Private Investigator that's been following her since God knows when is being paid from her account," Olivia continued, "Her joint account with…"

"My father," said Fitz, unsurprised, "Why didn't I see that one."

"We still have to wait and confirm that that's why that particular investigator is following her."

"Damn it," He replied, and she nodded, "Let me talk to him, tomorrow."

"You need to let us handle it," Olivia told him, "It's bound to get messy, and I don't want your already messed up relationship with him to get any worse."

"My father and I's relationship is already far beyond compare," He replied, "This, isn't anything. Actually, this is classic Daddy."

There was sarcasm in his voice that Liv rarely heard.

"We'll take care of it, ok?" She said and he nodded.

"Thanks," He said, as they wandered into the rose garden.

"You planned this out nicely," She commented, and he smiled.

"Can we pretend for once that you don't already know what I'm going to do?" He asked, "It means that I never get to surprise you. "

"Well, this is the second time tonight you're doing this," She said as he led her deeper into the garden.

There were candles set up in the center, they were beautiful – they looked like a Christmas service.

"Apparently, candles don't take very long to set up," He smiled as he stopped them in the middle of them, "Liv, our relationship has never been easy, or perfect. And if you want, I'll take what you said into consideration, about not wanting to get engaged until this is all over. But that's not our style, Livy. We're together first, and handle everything else second. We focus on us, and that's how we get through everything else."

"Fitz," She breathed, as he gazed into her eyes.

"Are you telling me to stop?" He asked, leaning in ever so slightly – causing her knees to quake.

"Go on," She smiled, and he grinned.

"You were wrong, earlier," He said, more firmly, with more confidence, and she nodded, "C'mere."

He pulled her in closer, so really the 'c'mere' was more of a courtesy than anything else. He leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her, passionately as he hands wrapped around his neck. He felt her starting to need air, but knew that she wasn't going to be the one to pull away. He smiled against her lips, then started to trail kissed down the side of her neck instead. He kissed her right down her side, even onto her thigh as he made his way slowly down to one knee.

"Livy?" He said, looking up at her, nervous as hell, he had to be insane, "You are the love of my life, I know now something that I didn't know before. I know that no matter what, I want you by my side, I can't live without you. Will you marry me, and grow old with me, and have everything we've ever talked about – a life, together?"

"Yes," She breathed, certain that she had cut him off but he just smiled as he pulled the ring back out of his pocket, still as perfect as ever as he slipped it onto her finger.

He jumped back up to his feet and wrapped her up in his arms as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around him to help him out. He kissed the side of her neck as he buried his face into it, and she could feel tears rolling down her cheek. He carried her inside that way, and right up to his bedroom.

The next morning, they were sitting at the table in the kitchen when Karen and Gerry showed up for Breakfast.

"Yes!" Karen jumped right up in the air as they walked in, spotting the diamond ring on Olivia's hand with ease.

"Seriously?" Gerry asked, his eyes going to where his sisters were – a huge grin coming across his face.

"You have to keep it quiet until tonight, ok, guys?" Fitz said, "We're going to tell everyone tonight at dinner. However, the press will probably be finding out about the same time."

"Secrets safe with us anyways," Gerry said as they sat down and get to breakfast.

Fitz smiled over at her, holding her hand on the table, admiring the way it shined in the morning sun. Just like he was twelve hours later, as they sat around the dining room table and he was admiring the way it looked in the moonlight instead. The table was stacked – Gerry and Karen for once permitted to be there, his sister Caroline, and his brother Dennis, and their spouses. It was more of a family dinner than anything else. Olivia seemed to be fairing well with his siblings, which he was thankful for. He didn't even get along with Dennis as well as she was.

"Ok, kids," Amelia looked over at Karen and Gerry.

"Time for bed," Fitz teased them, checking his watch.

"No," Olivia cut across him, "But Hal's waiting to take you guys to your friends' party."

"What?" Karen said, looking at her father, "I thought you said we couldn't go."

"Because you had to be here, for dinner," He replied, "But stay close to Hal, and be careful."

"Yess," Karen said, getting up from the table, "C'mon, Ger."

"Have a good time, Kids," Amelia called after them as they left with Hal.

The rest of them got up from around the dinner table, and moved to the next room for drinks. Fitz sat down on the end of the couch, pulling Olivia in right next to him.

"So, please tell me that I'm not the only one not ok with this?" Fitzgerald said as he walked into the room, a little blitzed, and Fitz looked at Liv.

"Well, that's fine dad," Fitz spoke up – to the surprise of just about everyone in the room, "Because this is my life, and I am in love with Olivia."

"This is my family –"

"NO," Fitz corrected him, not even bothering to stand up, "This is my family, Dad. Olivia, the kids, all of them are my family. I know what you've been doing, with Mellie –and it ends now. You're going to leave her alone, because she has nothing to do with us anymore, and doing whatever it is you're doing, it's going to end up hurting my kids more than anyone else. And you can hurt me, disapprove of me, punish me all you want – but you're not putting that on them. You're not. This is done."


End file.
